Understanding the differences between patch management and vulnerability management is important in order to ensure your business is protected against any cyberthreat. Remember, both approaches are essential for robust cybersecurity.
This article outlines two key areas to focus on:
Patch management involves applying software updates (patches) to fix specific flaws or bugs in your system.
By promptly patching vulnerabilities, you reduce the risk of successful cyberattacks.
Permanently fixes vulnerabilities: patching addresses known vulnerabilities, making them demonstrably fixed for standard compliance.
Legal compliance: helps meet legal requirements and industry standards.
Risk mitigation: reduces the risk of successful cyberattacks.
Complexity: modern device firmware comprises numerous components with their own dependencies.
Non-exploitable vulnerabilities: not all vulnerabilities are exploitable, leading to wasted efforts.
Rapidly evolving threat scenario: new vulnerabilities emerge faster than patches can be developed.
Operational impact: applying critical patches can disrupt device operation.
Patch effectiveness: patches may fail due to sophisticated attacks or new vulnerabilities.
Isolation partitions critical code (privileged mode) from less critical components (unprivileged mode).
Field-proven legacy code: trusted primary firmware runs without modification.
Reduced attack surface: secondary firmware (umode) handles non-critical tasks.
Continuous operation: devices can run 24/7 without full firmware updates.
Insider protection: isolation limits the impact of breaches.
Design complexity: implementing effective partitioning requires careful design.
Resource allocation: balancing resources between privileged and unprivileged modes.
Security expertise: ensuring proper isolation demands skilled security professionals.
Vulnerability scanning plays a crucial role in identifying weaknesses in computer systems, networks and communication equipment. It not only predicts the effectiveness of security measures but also helps discover unmanaged devices for Configuration Management Database updates and efficient patch management.
At Dasuni, we are here to help you scan any vulnerabilities – get in touch today and subscribe to our newsletter.
