To many professionals, real-time vulnerability remediation sounds like a pipe dream.
Currently, the average time-to-patch for critical vulnerabilities sits at 102 days – and that's if patches are deployed at all. Unpatched vulnerabilities are an easy target for attackers and survey data reflects that: Nearly 60 percent of data breaches trace back to an unpatched vulnerability. More, over a third of tech professionals admit they were already aware of the vulnerability before it was exploited. And, this is a problem that is only going to get worse if it's not addressed.
There are many reasons why current patching methods can take too long. Legacy systems, manual processes, staffing shortages, low endpoint visibility and the reliance on spreadsheets and emails for tracking patching tasks can all make the process of patching for an enterprise system difficult and time-consuming. But there is another way: By harnessing the power of automation, organizations can streamline their patch management processes, increase endpoint visibility and ultimately reduce the time it takes to address system vulnerabilities.
Real-time vulnerability remediation is possible, but only with the right technology.
The Patch Management Problem
As a recent ServiceNow study led by the Ponemon Institute finds, 37 percent of data breach victims do not scan their systems and networks to see what needs fixing. Yet, scanning for vulnerabilities is considered a tenet of basic cyber hygiene.
Another 57 percent of respondents said that an available patch could have prevented their data breach – and 34 percent say they knew about the vulnerability before it was exploited. Experts reportedly call this problem the “patching gap,” wherein patches for software vulnerabilities are readily available but security and IT teams are unable to keep up with them, whether due to lack of knowledge or resources. “Patch regrets” is now a term used by professionals who know what patching their system could have prevented.
For organizations of any size, patch management can be challenging. In addition to time-consuming manual testing and patching processes, many security teams are further encumbered by a lack of knowledge and resources. Fifty-seven percent of the companies surveyed by the Ponemon Institute said that their “patching efforts fail because their teams are still using spreadsheets and emails to track and assign patching tasks.” Another 62 percent of organizations said they had no idea if software patches were being deployed in a timely manner or not.
Without the proper tools and resources to streamline the process of patch management, security teams cannot be expected to be effective. Current processes for patch management are sloppy, slow-moving and leave much to be desired. But there is another way.
Real-Time Vulnerability Remediation: Don't Be Another Statistic
While most patch management solutions have been following the same formula since the 1990's, there are new, cloud-native platforms like Automox, which are revolutionizing the entire process of patching. Automated, cloud-native platforms like Automox give users access to real-time system monitoring, patch identification and scheduling, and real-time vulnerability remediation.
Automox provides security professionals with a single dashboard to manage all endpoints – including a full list of what software (and what version) is running on each device. This gives you immediate insight into what parts of your infrastructure might be vulnerable – and the ability to address any issues in real time. If a policy fails to run, it will show up on your dashboard so you can act quickly to resolve the problem. Not only does automation streamline the process of deploying patches across all devices, Automox also gives users the ability to see all endpoints, manage configuration settings, create custom policies, deploy software and ensure policy compliance.
No one wants to spend 100 days trying to deploy a single patch. With automated patch management solutions, real-time vulnerability remediation can be a reality.
Learn more about our cloud-native modern approach to patch management at www.automox.com. Or, feel free to connect with an Automox expert directly.
About Automox
Facing growing threats and a rapidly expanding attack surface, understaffed and alert-fatigued organizations need more efficient ways to eliminate their exposure to vulnerabilities. Automox is a modern cyber hygiene platform that closes the aperture of attack by more than 80% with just half the effort of traditional solutions.
Cloud-native and globally available, Automox enforces OS & third-party patch management, security configurations, and custom scripting across Windows, Mac, and Linux from a single intuitive console. IT and SecOps can quickly gain control and share visibility of on-prem, remote and virtual endpoints without the need to deploy costly infrastructure.
Experience modern, cloud-native patch management today with a 15-day free trial of Automox and start recapturing more than half the time you're currently spending on managing your attack surface. Automox dramatically reduces corporate risk while raising operational efficiency to deliver best-in-class security outcomes, faster and with fewer resources.
