Keeping up to date with patch management is an important part of any technology infrastructure.Software patches are a vital aspect of keeping your systems secure and up to date, and keeping in control of those patches gives you peace of mind and the ability to efficiently handle any software upgrades or changes. Some patch management software will automate this upgrading and maintenance process for you, scanning your systems for programs and applications that require a patch, acquiring it, and installing it.With budgetary constraints facing most IT departments, free software is always appealing. There are many options on the market, both open source programs and freeware versions of standalone paid software.
For your organization, look for something that is easy to use, integrates with your technology and infrastructure, offers the kind of support you need, and improves how your company does its work. The good thing about free patch management software is that you can easily evaluate it without having to spend money!These are a handful of our favorite free patch management software offerings.
PDQ DeployFor Windows PC users, is a free option that will deploy practically any Windows patch or application to many computers, simultaneously. It can be used for installations, executing scripts, rebooting, and more, and of course, that includes installing patches to your organization’s computers.You can set some applications to download automatically and deploy on the schedule you set, so you can sit back and relax knowing that patches are heading out to the right places, without needing you to do it manually.The free version of PDQ Deploy does not have quite the same amount of features as the paid version, but it may be a good fit for your business depending on your needs. ITarian Patch Managementis a program designed to combat the vulnerabilities of patches coming from multiple sources. With this free software, the IT department can identify where there are vulnerabilities that require patching, automatically update groups of tagged endpoints on a schedule, remotely deploy operating system updates for Windows and Linux machines, and use a dashboard system to get a top-down look at the system and its update requirements.This program allows for prioritization of patches depending on various factors such as severity or type, and tracks and reports on all deployments or attempted changes. Users can perform testing to approve patches individually or in bulk. Opsi as a Patch Management Choicethat can be used to automate patch deployment on Linux and Windows platforms. It will distribute updates, software packages, software configurations, Microsoft Hotfixes, and admin scripts using a client agent.As an open source program support for opsi comes mainly from other users of the software, available through a forum in both English and German.
This type of system may require a bit more technological know-how than a proprietary software from a vendor, but for those who want to use open source for all it offers, check opsi out. Paessler PRTGmonitors updates and patches to ensure that they are up to date. It works on any Windows operating system, including on mobile devices. PRGT sends automatic notifications of available patches and failed updates. It’s up to your IT administrators to actually install the patches, but PRTG is a simple, effective, and, of course, free way to get the process started.The freeware version of this system offers 100 sensors, with each device you are running needing usually five to ten sensors, or one sensor per switch port.
Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM, also known as ConfigMgr)SCCM was developed by Microsoft for managing large groups of computers running Microsoft operating systems, as well as running Windows Phone, Symbian, iOS and Android mobile operating systems. SCCM provides remote control, patch management, software distribution, operating system deployment, network access protection and hardware and software inventory.
If you are a Microsoft shop, chances are you already have access to these tools.As a company committed to providing high-quality software products that aid in business process intelligence, profitability, and streamlined operations, we at GroupLink think that patch management software is a must-have for any organization using technology. It’s all too easy to ignore pop-ups and messages requesting an update be installed, which means that practically speaking, your business computers and devices are open to all kinds of problems. Automating patch management lets your staff do their work without having the opportunity to opt out of updates, and aids in ensuring that your systems are in full compliance with security practices and regulations. Related Blog Articles. Summary: Best Free Software for IT Departments (COMING SOON).
You’ve read news articles about the latest “zero-day” exploits spreading across the web. These exploits are great news fodder, but zero-day attacks aren’t the most dangerous enemy to your organization.What does your patch management process look like? Do you have one?A patch is a small fix to an existing piece of software, usually used to fix bugs or security vulnerabilities. But having a fix available and never applying it won’t help you. You need to implement patch management best practices and apply them to the right applications at the right time.You’ll need to patch operating systems for your servers and endpoint devices.
Don’t forget that patches need to be applied to vendor products integrated into your environment, not to mention patching your own software is another key piece of the puzzle.Before we discuss how to create your own patch management process, let’s look at why it’s so important. Why Is Patch Management Important?When patches are released to the public, the vulnerability often is disclosed with it. If you were an attacker, would you spend weeks or months trying to find a vulnerability, or read up on the latest patch for a third party component and bet on the fact that most users are not fast enough to apply them?If you take into consideration the fact that and that months, you’ll understand that known vulnerabilities have become the weakest link in your software security.Patches require time and effort to apply. Despite this effort, many have seen a reduction in the time it takes for an exploit to appear in the wild for a given patched vulnerability.
Without implementing strong patch management best practices, you’ll waste time and risk leaving the door open to attack.In a, 57% of cyberattack victims stated that applying a patch would have prevented the attack. 34% say they knew about the vulnerability before the attack.A solid patch management process is an essential piece of a mature security framework. The faster you can apply the right patch to the right application, the more secure your environment will be. Eight Best Practices For a Smooth Patch Management Process?While patch management is a challenge, it’s not impossible. Apply these eight patch management best practices to build your process and protect your systems.
#1: Inventory Your SystemsA comprehensive inventory of all software and hardware within your environment is a critical piece of any patch management process. Once you have a clear picture of what you have, you’ll be able to compare the known vulnerabilities to your inventory to quickly discover which patches matter to you. #2: Assign Risk Levels To Your SystemsRisk levels give you the ability to choose the right priorities. Don’t waste the 18,000 hours spent on patching by applying patches to the wrong systems.While all systems should be patched, it makes sense to assign risk levels to each item in your inventory. For example, a server in your network that is not accessible from the Internet should not be as high a priority to patch as a laptop used by your sales team.
The more exposed to attack an item is, the faster it should be patched. #3: Consolidate Software Versions (And Software Itself)The more versions of a piece of software you use, the higher the risk of exposure. It also creates large amounts of administrative overhead.
Choose one version of Windows, Linux, or MacOs and keep that version up to date with patches.Large organizations sometimes buy different software products that perform similar functions. Periodically review all software in use and its purpose.
When you find multiple pieces of software performing the same function, choose one and get rid of the rest. Fewer software products mean fewer patches you have to apply.
Open Source Automated Patch Management
#4: Keep Up With Vendor Patch AnnouncementsUsing third-party vendors is a common practice. It’s good business sense to use a product to perform a common task and to spend your energy building software that differentiates your business.Keeping up with vendor patch announcements is key in this heterogeneous environment. Once you have a clear inventory of products, subscribe to all of their security updates through whatever channel patch announcements are made. Monitor each of these by sending them to a specific inbox or Slack channel. Create a process to ensure none fall through cracks so each patch can be added to the patch schedule.
#5: Mitigate Patch ExceptionsSometimes a patch cannot be applied right away. For example, a Java patch may break an existing business application.
Changes need to be made to make the patch work. However, this will take time.In these situations, mitigate the risk to the extent possible. Lockdown user permissions on the server (which you should do anyway).
Don’t leave an unpatched server exposed to the Internet. Figure out how to reduce the impact and likelihood of an exploit until the patch can be applied safely. #6: Test Patches Before Applying EverywhereEvery environment is unique. A patch could cause problems or even bring down machines with certain configurations. Take a small subset of your systems and apply the patch to them to make sure there are no major problems.Once a handful of systems check out, begin rolling out the patch to larger and larger groups until the entire company is patched. Patching quickly doesn’t mean applying the patch everywhere at once. Make sure patches don’t fall through the cracks and that a plan is in place to get everything patched in a timely manner.
#7: Apply Application Patches As Quickly As PossibleApplications you build have much more flexibility than operating systems and servers. When security vulnerabilities are found in your custom code, these should be added to the dev team’s backlog and treated with the same importance as vendor patches.Don’t leave the door open for an attack in your own applications. Quickly fix vulnerabilities and update your software in production. #8: Automate Open Source PatchingOpen source components help dev teams to build software more efficiently. But open source libraries are. As more open source libraries have appeared in recent years, the number of vulnerabilities in those libraries has increased.Caption: The number of open source vulnerabilities is rising quickly as more open source tools are created and used.If you use open source, you use when vulnerabilities are discovered. The challenge is keeping track of all of the open source libraries and tools in use by your developers.Automation is the key to keeping a solid inventory of open source tools in use and what versions are vulnerable.
Patch Management As A Service
Automated tools, like, not only know what libraries you use but will automatically open a pull request with updated versions when it detects an unsafe version in use. Developers only need to accept the pull request to patch their open source libraries seamlessly.Open source vulnerabilities become vulnerabilities within the applications that use them. Automated open source patching eliminates this risk without adding a burden on development teams. Forget About Zero-Day Exploits-Patch Your SystemsInstead of focusing on the latest zero-day exploits, work on implementing patch management best practices.
Poor patch management will lead to an attack on your systems.Keep an inventory of your systems. Keep up with vendor announcements. Test your patches, mitigate where you can’t patch and act quickly to patch your own applications. Use automation to keep open source vulnerabilities from becoming vulnerabilities in your applications.Patch management is a challenge that can be met. Follow the eight patching best practices presented here to protect your environment and become the envy of your patching peers.