Securing Your Systems: The Role of Patching Cadence in Cybersecurity
An often-overlooked aspect of cybersecurity is vulnerability and patch management. This article explores what patching cadence is, why it is important and the risks associated with not adhering to a regular patching schedule.
What is Patching Cadence?
Patching cadence refers to the regularity and frequency at which updates and patches are applied to software, systems and applications to address security vulnerabilities. These patches are often released by software vendors to fix bugs, close security gaps and enhance functionality. A well-defined patching cadence ensures that these updates are applied systematically and promptly, minimizing the window of vulnerability.
Why is Patching Cadence Important?
Maintaining a consistent patching cadence is essential for several reasons. It helps organizations proactively defend against known threats and reduce the risk of cyberattacks. Cyber threats are constantly evolving, with new vulnerabilities being discovered regularly. Regular patching helps close these security gaps, protecting systems from potential exploits.
- Compliance and Regulatory Requirements: Many industries are subject to stringent regulatory requirements that mandate regular updates and security measures. Adhering to a patching cadence ensures compliance with these regulations, avoiding potential fines and legal repercussions. It also demonstrates a commitment to maintaining a secure environment, which can be crucial for a business reputation.
- Risk Mitigation: By maintaining a consistent patching cadence, organizations could proactively defend against known threats which may reduce the risk of cyberattacks. Regular patching helps close security gaps, protecting systems from potential exploits.
- Operational Stability: Regular updates not only address security vulnerabilities but also improve the overall stability and performance of systems. By keeping software up-to-date, organizations may avoid unexpected downtimes and ensure smooth operations. This is particularly important for mission-critical systems where any disruption can have significant consequences.
In summary, a consistent patching cadence is vital for mitigating security risks, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and maintaining operational stability. This leads to a more secure and reliable environment, which is crucial for the success of any organization.
Risks of Not Adhering to a Regular Patching Cadence
Failing to apply patches promptly exposes systems to vulnerabilities, increasing the risk of cyberattacks, data breaches and financial losses. Regular patching prevents exploitation, protects sensitive data and ensures compliance with regulatory requirements, avoiding penalties and maintaining organizational reputation.
Leveraging CVSS Scores and CVEs to Maintain Patching Cadence
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) measures the severity of software vulnerability with scores from 0 to 10, aiding in prioritizing remediation activities. The terms "Critical," "High," "Medium" and "Low" are used to classify the severity of vulnerabilities based on their potential impact and urgency for remediation. Organizations use CVSS scores from the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) to prioritize and set deadlines for patches of CVEs identified in their environments. The NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 provides examples of software patching.
A CVE, or Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures, identifies publicly known security flaws in software. When a weakness is found, it gets a unique name and number called a CVE. This helps everyone discuss the same issue and understand what needs fixing. Like a library system where each book has a unique code, CVEs help IT professionals find and address specific security problems. By using CVEs, organizations can track and quickly fix known security issues to protect their systems from attacks.
As mentioned above, the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) uses the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) to provide qualitative severity ratings for vulnerabilities. The ratings are as follows:
- Critical: 9.0-10.0
- High: 7.0-8.9
- Medium: 4.0-6.9
- Low: 0.1-3.9
Help Secure Your Business with SecurityScorecard
Our dedicated loss control team uses a platform called SecurityScorecard to assist our policyholders in mitigating patch and vulnerability risks identifiable on the internet. To do so, we’ve created alerts and actively monitor the digital footprint of each of our clients.
