Name: Prathamesh Tidke
Roll No.: C52
Batch: C3 [Cyber Security]
As a chief security officer for ABC Inc., you are responsible for ABC Inc.'s Patch Management Program.
List the top 5 steps to implement Patch Management at ABC inc.
Assessment and Inventory:
Begin by conducting a comprehensive assessment of your organization's IT infrastructure. Create an
inventory of all hardware, software, and network devices. Understand what operating systems,
applications, and services are in use. This assessment is essential for identifying vulnerabilities and
understanding which systems require patching.
Prioritization and Risk Assessment:
Not all patches are created equal, and not all systems are equally critical. Prioritize patches based on the
potential impact on the organization. Develop a risk assessment framework that considers factors such as
the criticality of systems, the severity of vulnerabilities, and the likelihood of exploitation. This will help you
focus your patching efforts on the most critical areas.
Patch Testing:
Before deploying patches to production systems, it's essential to test them in a controlled environment.
Create a test environment that mirrors your production systems as closely as possible. Test patches on non-
production systems to ensure they do not introduce new issues or conflicts with existing software. This
testing phase is crucial to avoid disrupting critical business operations.
Patch Deployment:
Once patches have been tested and verified, deploy them to the production environment. Implement a
structured and well-documented process for deploying patches. Automated patch deployment tools can be
highly beneficial in managing the rollout of patches across the organization. Schedule deployments during
maintenance windows or low-traffic periods to minimize disruptions.
Monitoring and Compliance:
After patch deployment, continuously monitor systems to ensure that patches have been successfully
applied and that there are no unexpected issues. Implement mechanisms to verify compliance with your
patch management policies and standards. Regularly review patch management processes and adjust them
as needed based on lessons learned and changes in the threat landscape.
