How to deploy a successful security patch: A step-by-step guide

Felicia Nicastro, Contributor
This tip originally appeared on SearchSecurity.com, a sister site of SearchCIO-Midmarket.com.

Patch management has plagued organizations for years and continues to be a popular topic of discussion. As technology evolves

    Requires Free Membership to View

    Login

and attackers develop new methods to exploit vulnerabilities, the management of computer security becomes increasingly critical in maintaining the integrity of the business infrastructure. As a proactive initiative, security patch management is the primary line of defense for protecting a corporate computing infrastructure.

Patch management is the people, procedures and technology responsible for keeping computers current with updates developed for an existing software product. Security patch management is patch management with a focus on reducing security vulnerabilities. It should not be a defensive procedure in reaction to critical incidents. There are emergencies that warrant such cases, but security patch management should primarily be a proactive procedure for keeping the environment secure and reliable. Security patch management as a functioning procedure ensures that all identified software updates are in place, thereby eliminating vulnerabilities from the environment and mitigating the risk of computers being compromised.

This step-by-step guide explains how to successfully deploy a patch, including the testing phase, the physical deployment phase and the post deployment review.


Patch Management Step-by-Step Guide: Deploying a patch

  How to prepare for security patch testing
  Security patch testing and deployment phase
  Security patch validation and verification

Felicia Nicastro, CISSP, CHSP, ISSMP is a principal consultant at International Network Services, with more than seven years in the information security field. Her areas of expertise include security policies and procedures, security assessments and security architecture planning, design, implementation and operation. Nicastro has also authored a book on patch management, tCuring the Patch Management Headache. Let us know what you think about this tip; email editor@searchcio-midmarket.com.

This was first published in October 2005

Join the conversationComment

Share
Comments

    Results

    Contribute to the conversation

    All fields are required. Comments will appear at the bottom of the article.

    Disclaimer: Our Tips Exchange is a forum for you to share technical advice and expertise with your peers and to learn from other enterprise IT professionals. TechTarget provides the infrastructure to facilitate this sharing of information. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or validity of the material submitted. You agree that your use of the Ask The Expert services and your reliance on any questions, answers, information or other materials received through this Web site is at your own risk.

    Back to top