What is Patch Management? Guide and Benefits

What is Patch Management? Guide and Benefits

In today’s digital world, software vulnerabilities have become a widespread concern. Cybercriminals are always looking for ways to exploit these vulnerabilities, resulting in devastating security breaches. That’s where patch management comes in. In this article, we’ll discuss what patch management is, its importance, and best practices to implement it.

What is Patch Management?

Patch management is the process of acquiring, testing, and installing software updates or patches to address vulnerabilities or issues in software applications. Software developers regularly release patches to fix software vulnerabilities or bugs that have been discovered.

Patch management is a critical aspect of cybersecurity. Cybercriminals often use unpatched software vulnerabilities as a way to infiltrate computer systems, networks, or applications. As a result, the implementation of patch management is necessary to ensure the security and integrity of computer systems and networks.

Why is Patch Management Important?

Patch management is essential because it helps to ensure that software applications are up to date and secure. Cybersecurity is an ongoing process that requires constant attention and maintenance. Failing to implement patch management leaves systems vulnerable to security breaches, which could have disastrous consequences.

The Risks of Not Implementing Patch Management

Failing to implement patch management can lead to several risks. Some of these risks include:

  • Cyber attacks: Unpatched vulnerabilities provide an open door for cybercriminals to exploit computer systems or networks.
  • Data breaches: Cybercriminals use unpatched vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data or personally identifiable information.
  • Legal consequences: Non-compliance with data protection laws can result in legal action or fines.
  • Reputation damage: Cybersecurity breaches can have a significant impact on an organization’s reputation.

Best Practices for Patch Management

Patch management can be a complex process, but some best practices can help make the process more manageable. These include:

  • Developing a patch management policy
  • Prioritizing patches based on criticality
  • Regularly testing patches before deployment
  • Automating patch management where possible
  • Establishing a patch management team
  • Maintaining an inventory of hardware and software

The Patch Management Process

The patch management process typically involves four steps:

  1. Discovery: Identifying the software applications that require updates or patches.
  2. Assessment: Determining the criticality of the vulnerabilities and prioritizing patches.
  3. Testing: Testing patches to ensure they do not cause any adverse effects on software applications or systems.
  4. Deployment: Installing patches and monitoring their effectiveness.

The Importance of Testing Patches

Testing patches is critical to the patch management process. It ensures that patches do not cause any adverse effects on software applications or systems. Testing should be conducted in a controlled environment to minimize the risk of any issues occurring.

Automating Patch Management

Automating patch management can make the process more efficient and reduce the workload on IT staff. Automated patch management systems can detect and deploy patches automatically, reducing the risk of human error and ensuring that software applications are up to date.

Developing a Patch Management Policy

Developing a patch management policy is an essential component of patch management. The policy should outline the process for acquiring, testing, and installing patches. It should also specify who is responsible for each step of the process and what actions will be taken in the event of a security breach.

The Role of Cybersecurity Professionals in Patch Management

Cybersecurity professionals play a crucial role in patch management. They are responsible for identifying vulnerabilities, testing patches, and ensuring that patches are deployed promptly. Cybersecurity professionals should also monitor systems and applications for any signs of unauthorized access or security breaches.

SnaPatch: Streamline Your Patch Management with SCCM Add-On

SnaPatch is a patch management add-on for System Centre Configuration Manager (SCCM) that automates the snapshot process of virtual machines before deploying Windows patches. With SnaPatch, you can easily and quickly schedule snapshots of your virtual machines, which allows you to restore to the original state if any patch causes an issue to your virtual machines.

This tool also integrates with Microsoft’s SCCM and VMware or HyperV, giving you access to view detailed information about your SCCM environment. You can see the patching compliance of each server from within each collection, with detailed information about the number of updates missing for each class (i.e., security, critical, service packs, etc.).

Moreover, SnaPatch lets you deploy patches directly to your SCCM clients from the tool, and it automatically deletes snapshots based on retention policy. With email reminders before the system deletes them, you can exclude servers from the snapshot auto-delete policy.

If you are looking for a patch management solution for your SCCM, SnaPatch is the right tool for you. It is easy to set up, with a simple and intuitive interface. You can be up and running in less than 30 minutes. Try SnaPatch today, and you will have a reliable, fast roll-back solution that helps you avoid the inherent risk of patching and updating servers.

Conclusion

Patch management is a critical aspect of cybersecurity. Failing to implement patch management can leave computer systems and networks vulnerable to security breaches, resulting in devastating consequences. The implementation of patch management involves acquiring, testing, and installing software updates or patches to address vulnerabilities or issues in software applications. Best practices for patch management include developing a patch management policy, prioritizing patches based on criticality, testing patches before deployment, automating patch management where possible, establishing a patch management team, and maintaining an inventory of hardware and software.

FAQs

  1. What is patch management? Patch management is the process of acquiring, testing, and installing software updates or patches to address vulnerabilities or issues in software applications.
  2. Why is patch management important? Patch management is important because it helps to ensure that software applications are up to date and secure. Failing to implement patch management leaves systems vulnerable to security breaches, which could have disastrous consequences.
  3. What are the risks of not implementing patch management? Some of the risks of not implementing patch management include cyber attacks, data breaches, legal consequences, and reputation damage.
  4. What are the best practices for patch management? Best practices for patch management include developing a patch management policy, prioritizing patches based on criticality, testing patches before deployment, automating patch management where possible, establishing a patch management team, and maintaining an inventory of hardware and software.
  5. What is the role of cybersecurity professionals in patch management? Cybersecurity professionals are responsible for identifying vulnerabilities, testing patches, and ensuring that patches are deployed promptly. They should also monitor systems and applications for any signs of unauthorized access or security breaches.
Snapshot before Patching

Snapshot before Patching

Automate Snapshot Creation Before Deployment

Reduce Patching Risks with SnaPatch

System administrators are responsible for ensuring the smooth functioning of their organization’s computer systems. They are the ones who deploy new software and updates, perform maintenance tasks, and troubleshoot any issues that arise. However, keeping these systems up-to-date can be a daunting task, especially when new updates and patches are released frequently. This is where taking a snapshot before patching comes into play.

A snapshot before patching is a crucial tool that system administrators can use to protect their systems from vulnerabilities. In this article, we will discuss why taking a snapshot before patching is essential and how it can help system administrators safeguard their systems.

What is a Snapshot Before Patching?

A snapshot before patching is a backup copy of your system’s current state. This copy can be used to restore your system to its previous state in case something goes wrong during the patching process. Taking a snapshot before patching ensures that you have a stable and reliable system to fall back on if the patching process fails.

Why is a Snapshot Before Patching Important?

Taking a snapshot before patching is essential for several reasons. Here are some of the main reasons why system administrators should make this a standard practice:

  1. Protects Against System Failure: Patching can sometimes cause system failures. Having a snapshot before patching ensures that you can quickly restore your system to its previous state in case of such failures.
  2. Provides a Safe Environment for Testing: Taking a snapshot before patching allows system administrators to test the patches in a safe environment. This ensures that any issues that arise during the testing process can be addressed before the patches are applied to the live system.
  3. Helps in Disaster Recovery: Snapshots can be used as part of a disaster recovery plan. In case of a disaster, snapshots can be used to restore your system to a previous state.

Best Practices for Using Snapshots Before Patching

Here are some best practices for using snapshots before patching:

Always Test Patches:

Test patches in a safe environment before applying them to the live system.

Schedule Regular Snapshots:

Schedule regular snapshots so that you always have an up-to-date backup of your system.

Name Your Snapshots:

Give your snapshots meaningful names so that you can easily identify them.

Store Snapshots Securely:

Store your snapshots in a secure location to prevent unauthorized access.

Snapshots Before Patching FAQs

What is the difference between a snapshot and a backup?

A snapshot is a point-in-time copy of your system, whereas a backup is a copy of your system’s data that is stored separately.

How often should I take a snapshot before patching?

It depends on your organization’s needs. However, it is a good practice to take a snapshot before each patching session.

Can I take a snapshot of a virtual machine?

Yes, you can take a snapshot of a virtual machine. In fact, taking snapshots of virtual machines is a common practice in virtualized environments.

What happens if I don’t take a snapshot before patching?

If you don’t take a snapshot before patching, you run the risk of losing important data or causing system failures.

How to Snapshot before deploying Patches.

How SnaPatch Can Help You Take Snapshots Before Patching

When it comes to taking snapshots before patching, it can be a time-consuming and manual process for system administrators. However, there is a tool that can simplify the process and make it more efficient: SnaPatch.

What is SnaPatch?

SnaPatch is a software application that interacts with your Microsoft System Centre Configuration Manager (SCCM) environment to pull in all your machine information. It uses SCCM as the source of truth for all your VM information.

Next, it interfaces with either your vCentre or System Centre Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM), or both. It takes control of your VM environment, allowing it to create and delete snapshots of your VMs.

How does SnaPatch work?

SnaPatch simplifies the snapshot process by automating it. It creates a snapshot of any virtual machine before allowing it to be patched. If the snapshot fails, the VM will not receive updates and will be removed from the patching schedule. SnaPatch streamlines the process and frees up your time by automating the snapshot and patching processes, while keeping you updated on progress via email notifications.

How do you deploy SnaPatch?

Deploying SnaPatch is easy and straightforward. After installation, the application discovers your SCCM environment and allows you to configure various settings such as email notifications, snapshot creation, and patch deployment.

Why use SnaPatch?

SnaPatch helps you take snapshots before patching in a more efficient and streamlined manner. It complies with SOX regulations and minimizes risk, and its automated snapshot creation feature ensures that you can easily roll back updates if necessary, giving you peace of mind and more time to focus on other critical tasks.

Conclusion

In conclusion, taking snapshots before patching is a critical step in ensuring the security and stability of your systems. SnaPatch can help simplify and automate this process, allowing you to deploy Microsoft updates in your VM environment safely and efficiently. Try SnaPatch today and streamline your patching process!

MICROSOFT’S March 2017 PATCH RELEASES

MICROSOFT’S March 2017 PATCH RELEASES

MICROSOFT’S March 2017 PATCH RELEASES

Well after an absence last month of the usual Microsoft Patch Tuesday releases, Microsoft have bundled more in to this months release, with 18 Windows Updates for the month of March 2017.

March 2017 Patch Tuesday

See how you can remove the risk of patch deployment by adding SnaPatch to your SCCM patching infrastructure?

MS17-006 – Critical

Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (4013073)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. The most severe of the vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted webpage using Internet Explorer. An attacker who successfully exploited these vulnerabilities could gain the same user rights as the current user. If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.

MS17-007 – Critical

Cumulative Security Update for Microsoft Edge (4013071)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Edge. These vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted webpage using Microsoft Edge. An attacker who successfully exploited these vulnerabilities could take control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.

MS17-008 – Critical

Security Update for Windows Hyper-V (4013082)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows. The most severe of the vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if an authenticated attacker on a guest operating system runs a specially crafted application that causes the Hyper-V host operating system to execute arbitrary code. Customers who have not enabled the Hyper-V role are not affected.

MS17-009 – Critical

Security Update for Microsoft Windows PDF Library (4010319)
This security update resolves a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user views specially crafted PDF content online or opens a specially crafted PDF document.

MS17-010 – Critical

Security Update for Microsoft Windows SMB Server (4013389)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows. The most severe of the vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if an attacker sends specially crafted messages to a Microsoft Server Message Block 1.0 (SMBv1) server.

MS17-011 – Critical

Security Update for Microsoft Uniscribe (4013076)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Windows Uniscribe. The most severe of these vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user visits a specially crafted website or opens a specially crafted document. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

MS17-012 – Critical

Security Update for Microsoft Windows (4013078)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows. The most severe of the vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if an attacker runs a specially crafted application that connects to an iSNS Server and then issues malicious requests to the server.

MS17-013 – Critical

Security Update for Microsoft Graphics Component (4013075)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Skype for Business, Microsoft Lync, and Microsoft Silverlight. The most severe of these vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user either visits a specially crafted website or opens a specially crafted document. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

MS17-014 – Important

Security Update for Microsoft Office (4013241)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office. The most severe of the vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Microsoft Office file. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerabilities could run arbitrary code in the context of the current user. Customers whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than those who operate with administrative user rights.

MS17-015 – Important

Security Update for Microsoft Exchange Server (4013242)
This security update resolves a vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange Outlook Web Access (OWA). The vulnerability could allow remote code execution in Exchange Server if an attacker sends an email with a specially crafted attachment to a vulnerable Exchange server.

MS17-016 – Important

Security Update for Windows IIS (4013074)
This security update resolves a vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS). The vulnerability could allow elevation of privilege if a user clicks a specially crafted URL which is hosted by an affected Microsoft IIS server. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could potentially execute scripts in the user’s browser to obtain information from web sessions.

MS17-017 – Important

Security Update for Windows Kernel (4013081)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerabilities could allow elevation of privilege if an attacker runs a specially crafted application.

MS17-018 – Important

Security Update for Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers (4013083)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerabilities could allow elevation of privilege if an attacker logs on to an affected system and runs a specially crafted application that could exploit the vulnerabilities and take control of an affected system.

MS17-019 – Important

Security Update for Active Directory Federation Services (4010320)
This security update resolves a vulnerability in Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS). The vulnerability could allow information disclosure if an attacker sends a specially crafted request to an ADFS server, allowing the attacker to read sensitive information about the target system.

MS17-020 – Important

Security Update for Windows DVD Maker (3208223)
This security update resolves an information disclosure vulnerability in Windows DVD Maker. The vulnerability could allow an attacker to obtain information to further compromise a target system.

MS17-021 – Important

Security Update for Windows DirectShow (4010318)
This security update resolves a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow an information disclosure if Windows DirectShow opens specially crafted media content that is hosted on a malicious website. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could obtain information to further compromise a target system.

MS17-022 – Important

Security Update for Microsoft XML Core Services (4010321)
This security update resolves a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow information disclosure if a user visits a malicious website. However, in all cases an attacker would have no way to force a user to click a specially crafted link. An attacker would have to convince a user to click the link, typically by way of an enticement in an email or Instant Messenger message.

MS17-023 – Important

Security Update for Adobe Flash Player (4014329)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Adobe Flash Player when installed on all supported editions of Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2016.


Now that you have made it this far, a quick shameless plug for our software portfolio. 🙂

SnaPatch – Patch Management Addon for Microsoft’s SCCM.

SnapShot Master – Take control of your virtual machine snapshots, works with both Hyper-V and Vmware.

Azure Virtual Machine Cloner – Quickly and easily clone your Azure VMs, you can even migrate your VMs between ARM and ASM.

Azure Virtual Machine Scheduler – Save money and schedule the shutdown and power on of your virtual machines within Microsoft’s Azure Cloud.

Azure Virtual Machine Deployer – Deploy VMs to Microsoft’s Azure cloud easily, without the need for powershell.

MICROSOFT’S February 2017 PATCH RELEASES

MICROSOFT’S February 2017 PATCH RELEASES

February 2017 Patch Tuesday

Well this is completely out of the usual. This month, being February 2017 Microsoft has decided to delay the normal patch release cycle as, and I quote

“Our top priority is to provide the best possible experience for customers in maintaining and protecting their systems. This month, we discovered a last minute issue that could impact some customers and was not resolved in time for our planned updates today.

After considering all options, we made the decision to delay this month’s updates. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this change to the existing plan.

MSRC”

Make sure to sign up and revisit our blog, as once we have confirmation from Microsoft if or when they will release their February Patch Tuesday releases, we will update our blog.

As always, dont forget to check out our software.

SnaPatch – Extends the capability of your SCCM patching infrastructure

SnapShot Master – Schedule snapshot creations and deletions plus lots more.

AVMC -Quickly and easily clone or migrate your Azure VMs.

AVMS – Schedule power downs and ons of your Azure VMs with ease. Now include orchestration.

AVMD – Deploy VMs to Azure without powershell

MICROSOFT’S January 2017 PATCH RELEASES

MICROSOFT’S January 2017 PATCH RELEASES

MICROSOFT’S January 2017 PATCH RELEASES

Microsoft have released 4 new Patch Tuesday releases for deployment this month of January. Quite a small deployment of updates this month 🙂

January 2017 Patch Tuesday

See how you can remove the risk of patch deployment by adding SnaPatch to your SCCM patching infrastructure?

MS17-001 – Important

Security Update for Microsoft Edge (3199709)
This security update resolves a vulnerability in Microsoft Edge. This vulnerability could allow an elevation of privilege if a user views a specially crafted webpage using Microsoft Edge. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain elevated permissions on the namespace directory of a vulnerable system and gain elevated privileges

MS17-002 – Important

Security Update for Microsoft Office (3214291)
This security update resolves a vulnerability in Microsoft Office. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Microsoft Office file. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could run arbitrary code in the context of the current user. Customers whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than those who operate with administrative user rights.

MS17-003 – Critical

Security Update for Adobe Flash Player (3214628)
This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Adobe Flash Player when installed on all supported editions of Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2016.

MS17-004 – Important

Security Update for Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (3216771)
A denial of service vulnerability exists in the way the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) handles authentication requests. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could cause a denial of service on the target system’s LSASS service, which triggers an automatic reboot of the system. The security update addresses the vulnerability by changing the way that LSASS handles specially crafted authentication requests.


Now that you have made it this far, a quick shameless plug for our software portfolio. 🙂

SnaPatch – Patch Management Addon for Microsoft’s SCCM.

SnapShot Master – Take control of your virtual machine snapshots, works with both Hyper-V and Vmware.

Azure Virtual Machine Scheduler – Save money and schedule the shutdown and power on of your virtual machines within Microsoft’s Azure Cloud.

Azure Virtual Machine Deployer – Deploy VMs to Microsoft’s Azure cloud easily, without the need for powershell.