With all of the recent news of data breaches, it’s more important than ever to patch your devices. Every software is written with code, and you can often find a flaw in the programming that leaves a vulnerability in place for the bad guys to take advantage of.
Hackers are exploiting these weak points with the goal of stealing personal and financial information. For instance, cybercriminals exploited a vulnerability in a WordPress plugin in the previous month to maliciously take over websites.
The stolen data can later be used for identity and credit card theft. This is is why patch management is so important. The makers of these applications are constantly plugging security holes that are found in their programs. It involves maintaining available security patches, choosing the appropriate updates, and ensuring proper installation.
Not only is maintaining a proper patch management program a key strategy in preventing hackers from gaining access to your data, but it is also mandated in cybersecurity regulations.
Everytime Microsoft announces that it will no longer support an operating system, they’re saying no more security patches will be published after a certain date. We saw a huge uptake in malware activity after Windows XP was deprecated, and we expect to see more when Windows 7 reaches its end of its life in January 2020.
Ransomware is on the rise
Ransomware has continued to become more threatening not just for end-users, but for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) as well. While we can expect that nastier strains of ransomware are already being developed, installing updates as soon as they are made available can go a long way towards avoiding becoming a victim to future attacks.
Why a patching plan is so important
Even though security patches from suppliers is a key safety feature, sometimes these patches can unintentionally interfere with normal operations. This is sometimes referred to as a bug. F1 Solutions provides a robust patching plan for its managed clients that includes not only Microsoft products but also hundreds of other applications.
Critical patches are performed immediately and non-critical ones are pushed after a 48-hour vetting window. This gives us a chance to see what the industry chatter says about this round of patching and learn what complications may be associated with that event. It also allows us to minimize interference in work performance.
For over 20 years, F1 Solutions has been the most respected and trusted IT solutions provider in North AL. We are committed to helping businesses create a strong network infrastructure and ensuring that their data is protected from internal and external threats. Call us today, and allow us to help your enterprise grow even further.
