If you’re old enough, you may remember R&B singer Clarence Carter’s 1970 hit “Patches” – about a farming family struggling to survive. Its chorus had the famous words: “Patches, I’m dependin’ on you, son, to pull the family through…”  Well, today in IT and cybersecurity we’re still depending on patches – but we need a better way to ensure that they will pull us through. 

The failures in today’s patching processes 

As we all know, patches are small pieces of software code released to fix problems, close security vulnerabilities, or improve performance and functionality in existing systems, apps and devices.  

Patching should be an easily executed, no-brainer process – until it isn’t. And now, more and more frequently, it isn’t.  

Patching can fail for two main reasons: the patch itself or the patching process. Some patches aren’t fully tested before release and introduce new problems themselves, especially if rushed. More often though it is that the process breaks down. IT teams may delay or unintentionally miss patch releases; organizations may lack the proper tracking of patch-needed software; older systems may not support new patches; or even a necessary reboot isn’t done. Many times the thought was that patches were magically automatic – and they weren’t. 

Haven’t past patch lessons scared us enough? 

Many cyberattacks have succeeded because of patching process failures. These are just a few examples: 

2017 – The WannaCry ransomware attack is the most infamous example of the damage caused by bad patching processes. Microsoft released a critical security patch earlier that year to close a Windows systems vulnerability that let the ransomware spread. Many organizations either didn’t apply the patch or lacked visibility into their vulnerable devices. WannaCry hit hundreds of thousands of systems in more than 150 countries. A known vulnerability succeeded because systems simply hadn’t been patched.  

2024 – ScreenConnect, from ConnectWise, is a remote-access software that lets IT teams securely connect to and control computers for support and maintenance. ConnectWise discovered two major security flaws that made it very easy for hackers to break in, take over systems, and install things like ransomware or crypto-mining tools. Even though ConnectWise released a fix, thousands of computers were still exposed because many on-premise users hadn’t updated their systems. 

2025 – Ivanti’s Connect Secure VPN device is an appliance that lets workers securely connect to a company’s internal network from remote locations. Ivanti warned that China-aligned attackers were bypassing login to insert code on the device, which could lead to a wider network breach. Ivanti worked with vendors, customers, and government partners to release patches, and is currently urging everyone to follow its issued security advisory right away.  

Your patching process – what you need to know to prevent failure 

Ask yourself the following questions. If the answer to any of them is no (or an uncertain maybe) you could be setting up failure in your patching processes: 

* Do we patch operating systems and all third-party applications? Often third-party applications are left out of the patching scope. In addition, there’s more “shadow software” these days – apps and tools downloaded by employees without specific IT approval. You need to find those, too. 

* Do we continuously scan every endpoint for new vulnerabilities? It’s easy for a company to lose track of all its endpoints – laptops, desktops, servers, phones, tablets, printers, IoT devices, and more.  Remote endpoints – those devices connected to your systems through the internet – are a growing issue that’s often overlooked. 

* Do we continuously validate that we’ve applied patches accurately? Timelines get shorter, and “scheduled” doesn’t mean “done”; and a patch pushed out doesn’t prove end-to-end coverage. 

* Do we have reporting that proves risk reduction, not just activity? A patch pushed out doesn’t mean a validated outcome or a successful remediation. 

Getting to “yes” on all of the above will get your patching back to where it should be – an easily executed, no-brainer process that you can truly depend on. 

How Guardian can help 

Guardian now offers Paratus to address your patching needs. Paratus provides automated patch management with 24×7 Vulnerability Assessments-as-a-Service (VAaaS). We have the built-in proof to ensure all issues are always patched and validated.  

* Guardian-controlled process – Paratus test patches in Guardian’s secure sandbox. Patches are then released on schedule, never blindly pushed by a vendor 

* Cross-platform coverage – Paratus patches Windows, macOS, Linux and 3PP apps to eliminate the most commonly exploited hacker pathways 

* Vulnerability intelligence engine – Real-time analysis correlates CVE data with device telemetry to prioritize and verify remediation. 

Don’t rely on the old ways for patching. Grab the Paratus one-pager. No form, no fluff. ONE-PAGER

If this hits a nerve and you want to pressure test your patching reality, we’re here.  EMAIL