How can you prioritize patches when resources are limited?

Prioritizing patches with limited resources requires assessing each vulnerability's risk level and potential impact, using security advisories, vulnerability databases, and threat intelligence. Rank vulnerabilities by severity, urgency, and likelihood of exploitation, considering system criticality, data sensitivity, and compliance needs. Allocate resources to address severe and probable threats first. Despite thorough prioritization, patching will remain a perennial problem, necessitating compensatory controls like virtual patching and advanced monitoring to mitigate risks effectively. This comprehensive approach balances resource limitations with maintaining robust system security.

Step 0 is knowing what you've got. A reliable asset inventory is often overlooked but is foundational for many cyber controls, and will shortcut much of the risk assessment described here by having a pre-determined reference. An asset inventory should outline what systems you have and their OS, middleware, applications, libraries, versions, etc to determine applicability. It should then rank systems based on the value, importance and exposure of each system, collectively the criticality: Systems that are web-facing are at a higher risk of exploitation and should be prioritised as such. Then consider the risk of harm (safety, privacy, finances, business, stakeholders, consumers, etc) of each system and rank accordingly.

Here's a concise approach: Vulnerability Severity: Prioritize patches based on the severity of vulnerabilities. Exploitation Potential: Assess the likelihood of vulnerabilities being exploited. Asset Criticality: Identify and prioritize patches for critical assets and systems. Risk Assessment: Conduct a risk assessment considering the impact & likelihood of exploitation Patch Management Tools: Leverage patch management tools to automate the identification & deployment of patches Known Attacks: Prioritize patches for vulnerabilities that are actively exploited in the wild User Awareness: Educate users on the importance of prompt updates and patches Segmentation & Isolation: Implement network segmentation to isolate critical systems

Once a vulnerability has been disclosed and a patch has been released it’s a race for organizations to apply the patch before attackers begin actively exploiting it. To staying on top of patching cycles - 1) Automate patch updates - Cloud-based, automated patch management software allows to schedule regular update scans, and ensure patches are applied under specific conditions or automatically. 2) Patch deployment validation with audit reports - Developing scripts or processes to ease that burden of time-consuming, manual validation is a worth to make sure automated patching solutions are working as promised. 3) Outsourcing - The patch management burden can be outsourced to Managed Services Providers (MSPs).

Either it is a risk management framework, a cyber security framework, or a vulnerability management lifecycle, everyone suggests finding out what you want to protect. So Inventory managment is important. Find out critical Devices and assess the risk vibe. Hit security advisories, vulnerability databases, and intel feeds. Check the severity, urgency, and exploit chances. Factor in system importance, data sensitivity, and rulebook needs. Slap risk scores on each vulnerability—high-fives for the riskiest! Now, you've got a killer ranking to slay those patches strategically. Ready, set, patch!

Automation helps the organization to ensure speed up patch deployment and hence save time and resources as well. But only go for tools which allows patching to be done at the Sandbox Level and then only if there is no disruption in the business logic or application, then enable it in Production. Along with this, proper governance at regular interval is important to assess the automation process, which would help in keeping uptodate with latest changes in this space.

Hoy en dia existen pocas soluciones que ofrezcan una completa automatización del proceso de la mitigación de vulnerabilidades a través de la aplicación de las actualizaciones de seguridad por medio de la correcta contextualización del riesgo en un activo tecnológico como se ha mencionado en el paso anterior. Sin embargo, es viable con la conjunción de herramientas como SIEM, SOAR, Patch Management, CMDB que este tipo de automatizaciones puede llevarse a cabo. Importante también los procesos de gestión de cambios de la organización ya que si solo se automatiza la aplicación de actualizaciones sin considerar la correcta gestión puede tener un severo impacto en nivel operacional y continuidad del negocio.

Certainly, its necessary to implement automated vulnerability scanning tools to identify and prioritize vulnerabilities coupled with the use AI-powered tools to analyze and prioritize patches based on the level of risk and potential impact. Plus is always to automate the deployment of patches where possible to save time and ensure a swift response to critical vulnerabilities.

Automation can reduce costs and make complex tasks much more efficient. However, automation has to be carefully considered since it might also create complexities for the operation of the business' cybersecurity ecosystem, making it expensive to operate and manage. Automation needs a certain degree of explainability and has to be easy to use by humans, not a black box.

One thing I’ve found useful is when the problem statement is shortage of resources, best option is to adopt Automated tools which not only do automated VA but also do the vulnerability prioritisation. The tool helps classifying the identified vulnerabilities into prioritising their remediation based on potential impact, exploitability, and other key factors.

I would says establishing effective communication channels between IT and cybersecurity teams is of utmost important perspective in any such intiatives. Add-ons are to prioritize patches that address vulnerabilities posing an imminent threat and communicate this urgency to relevant stakeholders and co-ordinate with different teams to ensure a smooth and timely patching process.

Communication is key. This means interacting with technical and business people to clarify the consequences of not patching a particular application. This can be made explicit using business language, including economic costs and operational consequences for each possible decision scenario. Also, it is important to synchronize with technical team to envision any further problem that might happen after the patch.

Working with small businesses, there are many smart and affordable ways to manage the patching process and reporting. Seek ways to automate where you can, and make sure you have reporting in place to see the progress. However, if you have very limited resources, education is key to get employees to participate in the patching process. Security patches are available free from vendors, so you just need to say "yes", accept the inconvenience (go grab a cup of coffee!) then move on. Talk about the importance of security updates with your team. Also, make sure you're rebooting systems AT LEAST once a week. Many patches are sequential and require reboots or they won't be fully implemented. Shutting your laptop lid everyday isn't a reboot!

??One of the challenging aspects of Vulnerability Management is communicating risks associated with vulnerabilities in a meaningful and well-conventioned manner, and explaining in a clear manner the process leading to that result during triage and assessment stages (not an easy task!). Getting stakeholders on board with how risk and prioritization of vulnerabilities are determined greatly reduces attrition among upstream IT/Engineering teams responsible for implementing vulnerability treatments, especially when dealing with competing priorities. Additionally, establishing an agreed upon and signed-off framework for this communication will facilitate conveying risks and the performance of the VM program to both stakeholders and leadership.

Vulnerability management should follow a risk based approach to understand what is really critical (if everything is critical, nothing is actually critical). So, as part of that risk based approach, priority of the vulnerabilities should consider their severity but also additional factors like the existence of active exploit, additional controls in place to protect systems and criticality of the asset. One can make a better call using those criteria.

It's crucial to note that while automation can significantly improve the patching process, a strategic balance is necessary. Human oversight remains vital for decision-making in complex scenarios, ensuring that automated systems align with organizational priorities and security policies. The combination of automated patch management and strategic human intervention can lead to a more agile and effective patching strategy.

The effectiveness of the vulnerability management process hinges on the timely and efficient execution of the last stage in the vulnerability lifecycle—patching and validation. Identifying new vulnerabilities swiftly is rendered irrelevant if the subsequent patching process lags. Hence, it's crucial for organizations to establish a Vulnerability Management Policy, and accompanying agreed-upon Service Level Agreements (SLA) and Service Level Objectives (SLO), to ensure compliant and prioritized vulnerability patching is part of duties and responsibilities. Additionally, the VM team should actively engage and closely monitor the treatment process, ensuring stakeholders comprehend the requirements and carry out timely the necessary patches.

It is interesting to note that implementing continuous monitoring to identify new vulnerabilities as they emerge is one of the ways for continous monitoring. Add-on are regularly review and update the prioritization strategy based on the evolving threat landscape & monitoring the effectiveness of patch deployments and adjust strategies accordingly.

??Learning is key towards a path of continuous improvement. But if I can offer any good advice on implementing a VM function in your organization, it's to start with the fundamentals: 1. Understand your organization, its stakeholders, processes, and culture. Learn effective communication strategies and be adaptable. 2. Familiarize yourself with its IT environment, infrastructure, and tech stack. 3. Acquaint yourself with the tools supporting your VM function, as well as those used by IT and Engineering. 4. Learn about the activities of your security peers, fostering collaboration opportunities. 5. Design your VM foundational capabilities (policy, program, processes, etc.) based on what you've learned. VM success begins here.

While learning and improvement are vital for effective patch prioritization, it's crucial to find the right balance between analysis and action, tailor learning to specific needs, and leverage the prioritization process itself as a learning tool. Remember, continuous adaptation and improvement are key to staying ahead of evolving threats and maintaining a robust security posture.

A data breach is about both privacy and security so its important to conduct post-incident reviews to analyze the effectiveness of the patching process after a security incident & keep continuou learning from past experiences and update the patching strategy accordingly. Most of the times, staying informed about emerging threats and vulnerabilities to improve future prioritization efforts.

In the context of patch management, continual learning and improvement are crucial for optimizing resource allocation. Analyzing historical patch data aids in refining algorithms used for patch prioritization. Machine learning models can be employed to discern patterns from past vulnerabilities and their corresponding patches, enhancing the accuracy of prioritization. My suggestion is that implementing feedback loops that evaluate patch effectiveness helps fine-tune the prioritization process. Metrics such as patch success rates and vulnerability resolution times provide valuable insights for system optimization.

Proactive patch prioritization is an ongoing process, not a one-time effort. By adopting these additional strategies, you can build a proactive security posture that minimizes disruption, strengthens your defenses, and keeps your systems and data secure. Proactive patch prioritization should be part of a broader vulnerability management and remediation program and not a stand alone / one off activity or effort.

Proactive planning is cheaper than reaction. Therefore, it is important to assess and quantify risks to adapt cybersecurity strategy to very dynamic cyber threats. Solutions that help understand the attack surface and technical risks can be combined with economic models to predict possible financial losses that can guide proactive planning. Better cybersecurity investments must be made proactively, not only during an imminent cyberattack or after it happens.

??Embracing proactiveness in VM is a maturity-level step that yields long-term benefits. Some areas to leverage for a proactive VM strategy: - Foster collaboration with threat intelligence teams and groups for insights into undisclosed threats and emerging trends; - Work closely with IT/Engineering teams to institute robust O&M practices, ensuring regular updates for systems and apps, and implement proper lifecycle management; - Embrace automation, integrating extensively with both SecOps and DevOps; and - Implement admission controls within the CI/CD pipeline to prevent the integration and delivery of vulnerable code into production. Prevention is the holy grail, but a proactive swift reaction is highly effective and rewarding as well.

Approach is the always the same, as *everyone's resources are limited*, whether you're a tiny startup or JP Morgan. It's just a matter of scale!

"Later" - that's one of the biggest risks for security patching. If you don't have an enforced policy and relay on users to participate, remind them about the importance of patching, and help them get into the good habit of accepting security patches right away. Don't delay! Help shift the conversation to helping your company, colleagues, customers, and community rather that putting up with annoying things the tech people always ask you to do! :)

Prioritize patches based on severity, potential impact, and exploitability. Focus on critical vulnerabilities and essential systems, using threat intelligence. Regularly reassess priorities to adapt to evolving threats.