Patch Management Process and Best Practices

What Is Patch Management?

Patch management is the process of identifying, acquiring, testing, and deploying software updates, also known as patches, to fix bugs, address security vulnerabilities, and enhance functionality. It includes monitoring and managing all versions of IT solutions within your company, both used to facilitate internal processes and supplied to your customers or third parties.

Why the Patch Management Process Matters

Patch management is at the frontline of defense against cyberattacks. Without a structured approach, vulnerabilities can go unaddressed, systems can become unstable, and attackers can exploit weaknesses faster than your team can respond. The following section examines why patch management is crucial and the risks associated with falling behind in this area.

1. Speed Is Critical in Cyber Defense

Your organization’s security posture depends heavily on how quickly you can identify and remediate known vulnerabilities. Threat actors often move faster than security teams, exploiting newly disclosed vulnerabilities within hours. Delaying patches is like leaving your digital doors wide open.

2. The Volume of Patches Can be Overwhelming

Major software vendors release security updates regularly, and the volume can be daunting. Each delay in applying patches increases your exposure window. Without a structured process, it becomes difficult to keep up, let alone prioritize what matters most.

3. Structure Brings Stability and Focus

A well-defined patch management process enables you to prioritize critical updates, ensuring that high-risk vulnerabilities are addressed without compromising operational stability. It brings order to the chaos, allowing your teams to act decisively and efficiently.

4. Unpatched Systems Are Prime Targets

Modern cyber attacks frequently target unpatched systems because they represent easy entry points. Your patch management strategy has a direct impact on your ability to prevent opportunistic breaches and maintain business continuity.

Types of Patches

Different patch types serve distinct purposes in maintaining system security and functionality, requiring tailored deployment strategies based on their urgency and potential impact. Understanding these categories helps you prioritize updates effectively while balancing security needs with operational stability.

1. Security Patches

Security patches address vulnerabilities that could allow unauthorized access or data breaches. These typically receive the highest priority due to their potential impact on your organization’s security posture.

2. Bug Fixes

Bug fixes resolve functional issues that affect software performance or user experience. While not immediately security-critical, these patches can prevent system instability that might create indirect security risks.

3. Feature Updates

Feature updates add new functionality or enhance existing capabilities. These patches often include both improvements and security enhancements, making them valuable for long-term system health.

4. Critical Hotfixes

Critical hotfixes provide emergency solutions for severe vulnerabilities or system failures. You’ll need to deploy these rapidly, often outside your normal patch cycle.

Patch Management vs. Vulnerability Management

While patch management and vulnerability management work together, they serve distinct purposes in your security strategy. The table below highlights the key differences, including focus, scope, timeline, output, process, and dependencies:

How Vulnerability Management and Patch Management Work Together

Product Patch Management Process

An organization that works as a software solution vendor must provide continuous support for the product, regardless of its delivery model. Situations where new patch releases are needed can be divided into these three categories:

1. Vulnerability Elimination: Critical security flaws that could compromise user data or system integrity
2. Technical Defect Resolution: Bugs that affect functionality, performance, or user experience
3. Feature Implementation: New capabilities requested by customers or market demands

Considerations:

• Vulnerability elimination tasks typically receive higher priority than general bug fixes due to their security implications.
• The remediation processes share similar workflows and testing requirements.
• The patch management process is primarily used to address known vulnerabilities. It is not possible to generate updates for zero-day exploits. Other activities and mechanisms are responsible for this.
• Implementing a secure software development lifecycle approach in the initial phases of product development will reduce risks and enhance the level of information security.

Internal Patch Management Process

A strong internal patch management process begins with maintaining a complete inventory of assets and conducting regular vulnerability assessments to identify and prioritize threats. By combining real-time threat intelligence with centralized patching tools, your organization can respond swiftly to emerging vulnerabilities.

Assets involved in your patch management process include:

1. Server Infrastructure: Operating system types, versions, and installed software across all server environments
2. Workstation Management: Desktop and laptop systems, including operating systems and application software
3. Network Components: Firmware versions on routers, switches, firewalls, and other infrastructure devices
4. Cloud Services: Virtual machines, containers, and cloud-native applications requiring regular updates

The best sources of information about vulnerabilities in your company’s infrastructure are threat intelligence platforms. These solutions provide a granular view of vulnerabilities and prioritize them, enabling you to streamline the patch management process and eliminate vulnerabilities in the shortest time possible. The latter is crucial as threat actors seek to exploit an organization’s vulnerabilities as soon as they are discovered.

The Role of Patch Management in Regulatory Compliance

Organizations are expected to maintain systems that are resilient against known vulnerabilities in an increasingly security-conscious environment. Regulatory bodies enforce this expectation through strict compliance requirements, making patch management a key component of any audit-ready IT strategy.

Ensure Alignment with Industry Standards

Frameworks such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, and SOX mandate the timely application of security patches and the remediation of known vulnerabilities. The key requirements of each compliance framework are as below:

PCI DSS: Security patches must be applied within 30 days of release, especially for critical internet-facing systems. Quarterly vulnerability scans are required, along with scans after major network changes. Documentation of patch testing and approval is mandatory.

HIPAA: Security updates are part of assigned responsibilities, with breach notifications required if unpatched vulnerabilities expose Protected Health Information (PHI). Risk assessments must address unpatched systems, and business associate agreements should specify third-party patching duties.

SOX: IT controls require change management for financial reporting systems. Patch management must demonstrate segregation of duties, with consistent testing procedures and rollback capabilities for systems that impact financial reporting.

Demonstrate Due Diligence During Audits

Auditors routinely assess patch management practices, including documentation, testing protocols, and deployment timelines. A consistent, well-documented process must produce evidence that satisfies auditors across these key areas:

• Asset inventories with current patch status tracking
• Risk-based patch prioritization records and decision rationale
• Testing procedures, results, and approval documentation
• Timeline tracking for regulatory deadline compliance
• Integration records linking patch management to incident response

Patch Management Solutions

Modern patch management software automates many manual processes while providing the oversight needed for complex environments. When integrated with Attack Surface Management (ASM) and Managed XDR tools, you gain real-time visibility into any exposed assets and active threats.

Below is a breakdown of various patch management solutions to help you find one that best suits your business needs.

How Group-IB Strengthens Your Patch Management Strategy

An effective patch management process works best when combined with an approach that integrates continuous asset discovery and real-time threat intelligence. This helps your IT teams to make better-informed, data-driven decisions based on actual risk exposure rather than vulnerability scores.

Group-IB Attack Surface Management serves this purpose with seamless integration into your existing patch management workflow. It continuously discovers all external IT assets and assesses risk using threat intelligence data. This provides improved visibility and context about which patches require immediate attention versus those that can be scheduled during regular maintenance windows.

You’ll save time that would otherwise be dedicated to asset discovery and risk assessment, which makes the patch management process more efficient and frees up your resources to focus on other high-priority projects.

Get in touch with our experts today to learn how you can enhance your patch management strategy with a comprehensive external attack surface management solution.