What Is Patch Management

Joseph Baker - 2020-07-07T21:00:00.000Z

Patch management is a crucial part of cybersecurity. This method is used to detect and tackle vulnerabilities by obtaining, examining, and installing several codes or patches on applications of a system to keep it updated.

There are four basic steps in the management process:

Assessment - Detection of vulnerabilities in a system
Analysis - Investigation of the nature and threat profile of the vulnerabilities detected
Application - Executing an appropriate strategy to counter vulnerabilities
Assurance - Ongoing monitoring and improvement

Why Patch Management Is So Vital For Cybersecurity

There are many reasons why this practice is an inseparable part of the overall security strategy:

Cybersecurity professionals often use this process to keep systems safe and secure, as a remedy to vulnerabilities and also as a preventative measure. The chief objective of using this tool is to cover security gaps and susceptibilities of the associated software while keeping up with ever-changing threats.
The code exchange or patches delivered by the software developers are to be incorporated in order to keep all systems up-to-date. If new patches are not introduced in software or an application, users may not be able to safely access their advanced functionalities.
Renowned brands like Microsoft allow you to integrate a huge number of patches with diverse operating systems. On the other hand, legacy agencies such as IBM uphold the process of patch management as the key path of dealing with human hackers and at the same time maintains the integrity of the system. In other words, with this type of patching system in place, small to big companies can stay updated at all times and eliminate the drawbacks of backdated patches.

Kaspersky Vulnerability & Patch Management

Kaspersky’s Vulnerability & Patch Management delivers accessible data for software and any applications that are being operated on a system or a network. It assists software developing companies by collecting information about the new software descriptions and also detects the errors that need to be fixed.

Features:

It identifies, scrutinizes, and tackles vulnerabilities
Downloads and examines patches before updating
Allocates patches as per the requirements
Screens results and generates detailed reports
Provides and arranges custom applications

Benefits:

Using this system, you can acquire a complete outlook of your system including the involved risk factors and ways to diminish them.
The mentioned patch system is implemented with several client management tools that help in automating the various IT functions.
To optimize updates, the Kaspersky Vulnerability & Patch Management takes on several efforts. It ensures that updates are not overloaded, balancing its impact on users and systems.

Avast Patch Management

Avast Patch Management uses the strategy of patching through the analysis of significant vulnerabilities. After the assessment of the errors, it proceeds with the deployment of the patches from a fundamental dashboard. With Avast patch management software, detection of the errors and finding their solutions becomes much easier for the software companies.

Features:

It lists and sets up standard patches as per the needs

Comes with an intuitive dashboard that controls the overall software patches

Enables users to opt for customizable patches to develop omissions for software

Schedules automatic scanning every day

Downloads and distributes patches seamlessly

Benefits:

Even if you have less knowledge about the page management system, using the Avast patch management system will be very convenient as it is built using a simple user-interface.

This patch system helps in determining the outdated patches or software failures to ensure authorization. Doing so, it also averts security violations.

Its centralized management system grants full control of the patches to the users. Therefore, you can easily examine devices, acquire reports, and more - all from the central dashboard.

Flexera - Corporate Software Inspector From ESET

Flexera incorporates an internal application inventory scanner. It can evaluate the status of over 20,000 events that are running on Apple, Windows, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Windows platforms. Moreover, it provides hundreds of pre-installed patches and arrangement tools for using non-Microsoft applications installed on a Windows platform.

Features:

It includes patch assessment and vulnerability recommendations for Linux, Windows, and Mac

Incorporates the information on the reduction of potential risks

Integrates over 20,000 programs on different operating systems

Provides users with improved visibility over their systems

Benefits:

It includes several scanning programs that help to acquire the correct record of all the software within your infrastructure.

It is equipped with precise, timely, and verified intelligence from renowned Secunia Research.

With Flexera, you can easily amalgamate your selected code deployment solution. In fact, Microsoft Windows Server Updates Services and Microsoft System Center can also be integrated with it.

Best Practices

There is an industry-standard framework associated with all types of patching efforts. Here are the main steps:

Create A List Of Resources - Every software or IT company has thousands of servers and workstations. Unless you have a complete count of the network resources, knowing about patching requirements is impossible. You should start by maintaining a consolidated list of all available devices and OS.

Classify Resources - After the completion of the inventory check, the next thing that these patch tools help the users with is classifying them according to their risk and exposure profiles. The tools execute the task by determining which devices need daily patch deployment, and which ones require monthly.

Create An Update Policy - Define guidelines for when and how patches will be installed. For instance, you might want to keep it automatic for some devices while for the rest you may choose manual updating.

Closely Monitor The Organizational Environment - Always test the network for anomalies after every update.

Bottom Line

When your systems are completely updated, your risks of cyberattacks can plummet. Security patches help software and application developers to update their systems safely while closing any security loopholes as they develop their products. To get the most out of your security framework, it is recommended that you check your options about the various patch management tools available today.