As attacks from the inside become more common, more destructive, and more difficult to stop, managing insider threats becomes a top priority.
A truly secure business has a sound cybersecurity strategy in place with a well defined pathway to address future security requirements.
Best practices for Windows patch management include:
Get a step ahead of your cybersecurity goals with our comprehensive templates.
In this article, we’ll discuss the key role that patch management plays in maintaining a secure environment, explain the differences between patches and updates, and outline best practices for managing patches in Windows.
We’ll also explore the challenges that organizations face when implementing patch management strategies and provide insight into how PurpleSec is improving Windows patching for a more secure future.
Windows patch management is the process of deploying and managing updates, bug fixes, and security patches to Windows systems and applications.
It helps to make sure that the IT environment is secure, running efficiently, and up-to-date. Patching ensures system stability, and performance, and helps protect against vulnerabilities.
Having a successful patch management strategy in place requires careful planning, best practices, and ongoing maintenance.
Learn More: Top 10 Most Exploited Security Vulnerabilities
Keeping your Windows machines secure and running smoothly requires more than simply applying a single patch.
There are four distinct types of patches, each providing different benefits that contribute to the safety and reliability of your IT environment.
Microsoft has a comprehensive and structured approach to patch management, ensuring that Windows users receive timely updates to address vulnerabilities and improve system performance.
The company’s patch management process includes regular monthly updates on Patch Tuesday and occasional out-of-band updates for urgent security issues.
Microsoft provides several built-in tools and supports third-party solutions to help organizations manage their patch deployment effectively.
Every month, Microsoft releases security patches and updates for its products and services through Patch Tuesday (or Update Tuesday).
This happens every second Tuesday of the month, giving IT administrators a predictable schedule for deploying across their organization.
However, Patch Tuesday also has its limitations.
By having a monthly cycle of releasing these patches, attackers can take advantage of the “window” between updates to exploit known vulnerabilities.
In addition, waiting until the next Patch Tuesday to deploy critical updates may leave systems exposed to zero-day vulnerabilities.
To address this issue, Microsoft occasionally releases out-of-band patches for high-impact vulnerabilities; though this disrupts IT administrators’ workflow.
Microsoft provides a few built-in tools to help manage patch deployments and increase predictability.
While Microsoft provides in-house tools to help organizations keep patches up to date; there are other excellent third-party solutions for streamlining Windows updates.
These solutions can offer additional features and integrations, such as support for non-Microsoft software or enhanced reporting capabilities, to further enhance the patch management process.
Some popular third-party solutions for patch management include:
Implementing a robust patch management strategy requires adherence to certain best practices.
These practices help organizations maintain a secure and stable IT environment while minimizing risks associated with outdated software, security vulnerabilities, and system instability.
A patch management policy establishes a systematic approach to handling software updates, ensuring patches are applied consistently and effectively.
Developing a patch management policy involves creating clear guidelines and procedures, including:
Learn More: How To Create & Implement A Patch Management Policy
The policy should define the roles and responsibilities of IT staff, outline the patch management workflow, and set expectations for communication and reporting.
A well-defined patch management policy is essential to prevent security breaches and maintain a stable IT environment.
For instance, if an organization fails to prioritize and deploy a critical security patch promptly, attackers may exploit the vulnerability, leading to data breaches or other significant losses.
Prioritizing vulnerabilities is essential for successful patch management.
Organizations can better allocate resources and reduce mean time to remediation by using a risk-based approach to determine and prioritize high-risk vulnerabilities based on their severity and the potential effect.
Not prioritizing them may leave systems open to attacks for longer periods of time.
For instance, not deploying a crucial fix for an exploitable vulnerability in time could lead the threat actor to gaining access to the system without permission.
Automating the patching process involves using tools (sometimes powered by AI and ML) to streamline patch deployment and minimize the time it takes to apply patches across the organization’s environment.
By automating patch management tasks, organizations can increase efficiency and reduce human error, resulting in fewer patch-related issues.
To implement automation, organizations should first assess their existing patch management process and identify areas where automation can be introduced.
Next, select suitable tools that integrate with your existing technology stack without adding too much complexity.
The importance of automation becomes apparent when considering the potential consequences of a manual patching process.
For example, if patches are applied manually and inconsistently across systems, vulnerabilities may remain unaddressed, exposing the organization to cyber threats.
Automation, on the other hand, ensures that patches are deployed uniformly and promptly, mitigating security risks and maintaining system stability.
Testing patches before deployment is important to ensure a smooth and secure patching process.
It involves evaluating patches in test environments or virtual machines to identify and address compatibility issues or conflicts before rolling them out to production systems.
Organizations should set up a test environment that closely mirrors their production infrastructure, using virtual machines or isolated physical systems.
Patches can then be deployed to the test environment and monitored for system performance, stability, and application functionality.
To ensure a successful launch, it’s essential that any issues found during testing are addressed before pushing out the updates to our production environment.
Failing to test patches prior to rollout carries risks such as downtime, lost productivity, or even data loss due to system instability or application incompatibilities.
By thoroughly testing patches, organizations can reduce these potential consequences and maintain a safe patching process.
It is important to deploy patches promptly to maintain a secure IT environment.
Applying updates quickly helps reduce exposure to existing vulnerabilities and potential performance issues from outdated software or hardware.
Organizations should schedule updates during off-peak hours using patch management tools like SCCM or WSUS, or at specific times through automation tools.
This will help reduce the impact on users and business operations while ensuring consistent application of updates across the organization’s infrastructure.
Not updating your system in a timely manner can leave it open to exploitation.
Without the right patching, data breaches and malware infections become more likely – leaving you vulnerable to security incidents.
By creating a patch deployment schedule and leveraging automation, organizations can effectively minimize risks and ensure a secure and stable IT environment.
Continuous monitoring of Windows systems during the patching process ensures successful deployment and helps identify any issues during or after the patching process.
Reviewing logs and reports regularly allows organizations to confirm that updates have been applied correctly and address any problems.
Patch management tools like SCCM or WSUS, and third-party monitoring solutions provide real-time information on patch status, compliance levels, and potential issues.
If monitoring is not done, incomplete deployment or software incompatibilities can occur.
This can cause security threats or operational problems if a patch fails to install due to an existing application conflict.
Monitoring the patching process actively helps organizations detect and resolve these issues quickly for a secure and stable IT environment.
When a patch creates conflicts with existing software, having a rollback plan ensures organizations can quickly revert to a previous state, reducing the potential for any downtime or damage.
To create a rollback plan, critical systems must be identified, and regular backups should be scheduled.
IT staff should also be trained on the process of restoring systems using a step-by-step approach outlined in the plan.
Without this in place, it’s possible for system crashes or application incompatibilities to cause major disruption and lost work.
By having an effective rollback plan implemented, organizations will have the ability to swiftly restore system functionality while reducing any potential negative impacts.
Patch management is crucial for maintaining a secure and stable IT environment, but it also presents several challenges.
By understanding and addressing these challenges, organizations can optimize their patch management processes and minimize potential risks.
Unforeseen compatibility issues can cause serious disruptions to your system, and even affect the functionality of existing software or hardware.
Outdated versions, unsupported devices, and third-party programs with mismatched capabilities are typical culprits behind such clashes – leaving you vulnerable to instability or loss of data.
For example, a patch might cause an essential application to crash and lead to downtime and productivity losses.
To avoid this issue, organizations should thoroughly test patches on test systems or virtual machines before they deploy them in production systems.
In addition, they should examine patch release notes for potential compatibility problems and stay up-to-date on software and hardware compatibility requirements so all components in the IT system remain compatible.
Patching can occasionally lead to business disruption or downtime, particularly when it involves system restarts.
This could be caused by insufficient planning, lack of communication with stakeholders, or deploying untested patches.
As an example, deploying a patch during peak hours could cause system unavailability and losses in productivity.
To minimize these risks, organizations should plan and schedule updates outside of peak times like evenings and weekends.
Stakeholders should be notified ahead of time about the potential disruptions and given updates on patch deployment progress.
Managing and deploying patches across multiple systems, applications, and devices is a challenging task, especially for larger organizations lacking well-defined patching programs.
Manual patch deployment consumes a significant amount of time, and the cost of deploying patches across multiple devices quickly adds up.
Failing to implement patch management leaves organizations vulnerable to security threats and data breaches resulting from missed updates.
To ensure maximum protection and efficiency, organizations should adopt a centralized patch management solution that automates as much of the process as possible.
Automated patch management simplifies the process and minimizes potential errors or missed updates that can lead to significant security incidents.
Moreover, it provides improved visibility into patching activities, enabling regular updates of all systems with the latest patches and ensuring optimal security in a rapidly evolving technological environment.
Resource constraints can make it difficult for organizations to implement an effective patch management strategy.
From personnel to time constraints, it’s important to understand the impact of each limitation to keep up with patching requirements.
Without a robust patch management strategy, systems may not receive the necessary updates, leaving them vulnerable to cyber threats.
To address resource constraints, organizations should leverage automation tools such as AI and machine learning.
Automation helps streamline the patch management process and reduce time spent on deployment.
Striking the perfect balance between automation and human expertise is key for successful patch management.
Without this, security gaps may remain undetected (sometimes up to 7 months or more!).
With the right resources and approach, organizations can overcome resource constraints and create a secure IT environment.
PurpleSec’s automation capabilities seamlessly integrate with popular patch management tools, including SCCM, WSUS, and Microsoft Endpoint Manager.
This integration allows organizations to centrally manage and automate their patch deployment process, reducing manual intervention and human error.
Purplesec is leading the charge in patch management, revolutionizing IT safety and performance with advanced technologies.
Our cutting-edge solutions allow organizations to keep their systems secure from threats while streamlining tedious processes – and simplifying IT maintenance so businesses can thrive.
PurpleSec’s automation capabilities seamlessly integrate with popular patch management tools, including SCCM, WSUS, and Microsoft Endpoint Manager.
This integration allows organizations to centrally manage and automate their patch deployment process, reducing manual intervention and human error.
With the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning, Purplesec’s patch management solution can analyze vast amounts of data to identify and prioritize vulnerabilities based on risk.
The solution continuously improves the patch management process by analyzing historical data and identifying patterns.
This data can then be analyzed to make informed decisions and recommendations, ultimately optimizing the patch management process over time.
By automating the patch management process, Purplesec empowers organizations to stay ahead of security threats and maintain a stable and secure IT environment.
Purplesec’s patch management platform streamlines the testing and deployment process by automating these tasks.
The solution can test patches in a virtual environment to identify any compatibility or stability issues before deploying them to the production environment.
This minimizes the risk of system downtime and ensures that patches are applied successfully.
Purplesec’s automation capabilities extend to real-time monitoring and reporting, providing organizations with instant visibility into their patch management process.
This enables IT teams to track the status of patch deployment, identify potential issues, and take corrective action if needed.
Organizations often face issues in patching Windows systems like incompatibility, disruption of business activities, and lack of resources.
IT staff and security teams can use automation tools to tackle these challenges.
In addition, using a centralized patch management solution like Purplesec with AI-driven vulnerability prioritization, automated testing/deployment, and real-time monitoring/reporting can help minimize the risk of cyber-attacks and provide a secure IT environment.
Schedule a consultation with PurpleSec today to learn more about how our platform can help your organization achieve its security goals.
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Businesses are already on-guard against spam emails and phishing attacks, yet yesterday’s methods may no longer be enough to spot today’s and tomorrow’s fakes.
This articles explores why managing incident response has never mattered more, and covers the incident response best practices everyone needs to excel at in 2025 and beyond.
Preventing security incidents must now be a top priority for small and mid-sized businesses—beginning by learning what kinds of security incidents to guard against.
One thing is hard to argue in today’s complex cyber world:
Cyber incidents are part of doing business.
Chances are, your organization’s data will be—or already has been—breached. With 92% of malware delivered by email, it’s no surprise that cyber incidents that expose sensitive data are spreading like wildfire.
Most organizations focus on mitigation: you remove viruses, launch employee “don’t click” training programs, and try to secure your network from hackers.
Free Download: NIST 800-171 Incident Response Plan Template
But what is your organization doing to be ready when the inevitable happens?
In this article, I’m going to explain how incident response safeguards your organization as well as discuss NIST incident response requirements.
By the end, you’ll have a better understanding of incident reporting and compliance requirements, how they apply to NIST, and what DoD contractors are required to report in the event of a cyber incident.
Skip the policy-writing hassle with our ready-to-use incident response policy template.
Are you prepared to successfully respond to security incidents, whether they stem from malware, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, stolen passwords, or lost laptops?
It’s one thing to have security efforts in place to protect your data, but it’s another to have incident response planning in place.
An incident response plan is a set of instructions designed to help IT staff identify, respond to, and recover from a security incident.
This plan refers to the scope of measures to be taken during an incident, not the details of the incident itself.
A response plan for an incident is the instruction that the response team follows when an event occurs.
An incident response plan protects sensitive data from a security breach, just as contingency plans ensure the continuity of business processes and services during a malfunction.
Learn More: The Security Incident Response Lifecycle Explained
Incident response is one of the 14 requirements outlined in the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-171—Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in Nonfederal Information Systems and Organizations and enforced by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).
If your organization contracts for the government, you must implement all of these requirements and security controls.
Simply put, if you do not comply, you risk losing your contracts, costing your organization millions of dollars in lost revenue.
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A security incident is defined as actions taken through the use of computer networks that result in a compromise or an actual or potentially adverse effect on an information system and/or the information residing therein.
According to NIST SP 800-171 section 3.6, the Incident Response family of security requirements focuses on establishing an operational incident-handling capability for organizational information systems that includes adequate:
You must acquire a medium assurance certificate to access the reporting site. So, this is the first step.
Cyber incidents that impact a system within the scope of Defense Acquisition Regulations System (DFARS) must be reported within 72 hours of detection.
To report cyber incidents, you must have a medium assurance certificate. A review must be conducted so that the scope of the compromise can be understood.
At a minimum, this review must cover:
The DoD has the right to request further information in order to investigate the cyber incident.
To this end, the contractor:
DoD contractors shall report as much of the following information as can be obtained to DoD within 72 hours of discovery of any cyber incident:
Get a step ahead of your cybersecurity goals with our comprehensive templates.
While you may be doing what you can to prevent cyber fires from spreading and causing damage, there are procedures to follow to report the fire.
If your clothes catch on fire, we all know about “Stop, Drop, and Roll.” In the case of cyber incidents, it’s more like “Stop, Assess, and Report.”
Knowing and implementing the NIST 800-171 requirements—all 14 of them including incident response —is not only a good way to mitigate risk and minimize data exposure but critical to maintaining your organization’s compliance and status with the federal government.
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This article outlines the seven proven steps and procedures in the incident response lifecycle, explains how to improve incident response procedures, and reveals a few shortcuts and computer security hacks along the way.
The security incident response lifecycle includes the five phases of incident response, each of which are essential for minimizing breach damage and accelerating time to recovery.
A security incident response plan ensures that everyone knows exactly what to do throughout the incident response process. This article explains how these plans work, what they include, and how to create your own.
As attacks from the inside become more common, more destructive, and more difficult to stop, managing insider threats becomes a top priority.
Continuous security monitoring provides earlier threat detection and response, and improves visibility into current posture and risk management.
All small businesses need to take cybersecurity seriously. This article covers best practices for cybersecurity and tips for small businesses that any company should follow.
Shubham Khichi shares his expert insights into how LLMs are being exploited by adversaries and provides practical tips to secure AI.
In a recent discussion, two seasoned offensive security professionals, Shubham Khichi and Nathaniel Shere, shared their perspectives on the future of AI in penetration testing.
