Right, so I grabbed a coffee with Chloe the other day – she’s a proper veteran in the network security game. We were chewing the fat about vulnerability management, specifically how it goes way beyond just keeping our operating systems up-to-date. It’s not enough, is it? You patch Windows, then BAM, there’s a zero-day in some obscure Java library you didn’t even know you were using.
“The biggest blind spot for most organisations?” Chloe asked, swirling her latte, “Third-party applications and network devices. Everyone focuses on the OS, but attackers know the weaknesses exist further down the stack.”
Patching the Unpatchable (Almost)
We started by talking about third-party apps: browsers, PDF readers, Java runtimes – the usual suspects. Chloe’s approach is multi-layered. First, visibility is key. You need to know what’s actually installed across your entire network. That means a decent asset inventory and vulnerability scanning tool. A lot of the commercial scanners do a good job now, but you also need to supplement this with other data. You can get an idea of what a server should look like using Microsoft Baseline Security Analyser (MBSA) as an example. This tool is not supported and superseded, however, it provides you with a template for a more modern approach to the task.
“Automate, automate, automate,” she insisted. “Manual patching for these things is a fool’s errand. You’ll never keep up.” Chloe swears by central patch management solutions, such as Chocolatey GUI or PowerShell’s PackageManagement module. A lot of cloud providers now have similar services to help you keep your network up to date. These tools can automate the deployment of patches to most third-party apps, but some tools are better at handling third party apps than others. The key thing here is testing before deployment. You want to avoid breaking anything business critical.
Securing the Network Backbone
Then we moved onto network infrastructure: routers, switches, firewalls, even printers. This is where it gets hairy. “These devices often run on proprietary operating systems,” Chloe explained, “and patching them can be a real pain. It’s not always straightforward, and updates can sometimes break functionality.” In a similar way, Internet of Things (IoT) devices often get forgotten about as they are not always considered as network devices.
Chloe’s strategy here involves a combination of vendor-provided tools and good old-fashioned scripting. Most network device vendors have their own management consoles that can handle firmware updates. You need to learn how to use them. For older, unsupported devices (and sadly, these are still kicking around in many environments), you might need to get creative with scripting and APIs. A lot of network devices now support things like the REST API, which you can access with Python scripts.
The Dreaded Compatibility Test
Speaking of breaking things, patch compatibility testing is critical. You can’t just blindly roll out updates and hope for the best. Chloe recommends setting up a dedicated test environment that mirrors your production network as closely as possible. “It’s an upfront investment,” she said, “but it’s a lot cheaper than bringing down your entire network because a patch clashed with your firewall configuration.”
She also emphasises the importance of having well-defined rollback procedures. “If a patch breaks something, you need to be able to revert it quickly and cleanly. That means having backups and a documented rollback process.”
Ignoring the Warning Signs (Don’t!)
We wrapped up by discussing the risks of neglecting these often-overlooked components. “It’s a playground for attackers,” Chloe said, getting serious. “Unpatched third-party apps and network devices are low-hanging fruit. They’re easy to exploit, and they can give attackers a foothold into your network.” Ignoring security alerts because you think it does not affect you is just putting your head in the sand.
She’s spot on, really. Compromised routers can be used to sniff network traffic, unpatched browsers can expose sensitive data, and outdated Java runtimes can be exploited to install malware. It’s a domino effect that can quickly escalate into a full-blown security breach. The risks of not acting often outweigh the risks of applying a patch, especially if you have a rollback procedure in place.
Bringing it All Together
So, the key takeaways are: visibility is essential; automate patching wherever possible; prioritize compatibility testing and rollback procedures; and don’t underestimate the risks of ignoring third-party applications and network devices. Effective vulnerability management and patching automation isn’t just about applying security updates; it’s about creating a proactive, resilient, and layered defence strategy. By focusing on building automated vulnerability scanning and patching pipelines, prioritising critical vulnerabilities and putting mitigation risks associated with unpatched systems in place we can make significant steps towards securing a network.