The computer, application, and network systems we use every day are constantly under attack by hackers who want financial gain. Benjamin Franklin once said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; this age-old advice can easily be a
applied in our digital world where computers get hacked for money!
Hacker attacks are becoming more and more sophisticated, but there is a way to protect your computer from being hacked. A good patch management program will not only stop the hackers dead in their tracks; it also greatly reduces the risk associated with exploiting an unpatched system or one that has been neglected for too long!
An ounce of prevention, in this case – patching computers and applications, is worth a pound of cure, in this case – the cost of responding to a cybersecurity incident or data breach.
Cyber security is a top priority for most companies, and patches to protect against cyber-attacks have been available for months or even years before they're needed. Even though these vulnerabilities were known about beforehand - many people don't install them because it's inconvenient!
The key to protecting your computer against malware and hackers is installing security patches on a timely basis.
Maintaining an up-to-date system with all relevant software updates will help you avoid being hacked while also keeping the degradation of data at bay, which could result in financial loss or even physical harm!
There are seven steps you must take to build an effective patch and vulnerability management policy:
1. Inventory Systems and Applications. Maintaining an inventory of all computing assets is critical for patching computers, operating systems, and applications. Use software if possible but at least make sure your list stays up-to-date using manual methods.
2. Monitor for Vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities are discovered every day, and you must be aware of when new patches will become available or risk being vulnerable. It
is important to review the security of your system on an ongoing basis. There are many ways you can do this, such as by checking for vulnerabilities in vendor websites and subscribing to mailing lists that provide updates about new releases or patches available from their developers; performing scans regularly against all active IT resources (including firewalls);
relying heavily upon enterprise patch management tools which will help ensure users receive timely information when it's released
3. Selecting Patches to Apply. Deciding which patches are ultimately installed can be based on the criticality of a patch, the importance of the system is patched, and the resources required for installation. It's good practice to at least installing all "Critical" or “Security” updates when they're available.
4. Testing. Install patches in a test environment before installing them on your production computer. This will allow you to make sure that the installation of each patch won't cause any adverse outages or system disruptions when it is eventually applied at full force within an operational data center.
5. Verify Backup. It is possible that the installation of a patch will create unanticipated issues or outages. For this reason, it's important to verify your system has recent data backup which can easily be restored in case anything goes wrong with installing patches remotely over networks.
6. Automate Patching. Patch installation is a crucial part of system security, and NIST recommends that it be automated for the best results. Manually installing patches can lead to wasted time as well as inconsistent updates across your network - where possible be sure systems are automatically updated according to their patch management program parameters.
7. Verify Installation. When installing a patch, it's important to confirm that the installation was successful by either re-scanning with an available vulnerability scanner or reviewing log files.
The burden of maintaining a patch and vulnerability management program is often assigned to the Network Administrator or a company like BTI Communications Group. This allows admins more time for other important tasks, such as implementing security measures that keep up with ever-changing threats from hackers in order to make your network safe.
Patching is an easy and effective way to keep your network safe from hackers. Call us or schedule a free evaluation of your network security.