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HOW AI CAN AUTOMATE IT PATCH MANAGEMENT




AI-BASED PATCH AUTOMATION CAN TAKE PRESSURE OFF THE PROCESS OF SCANNING,
TESTING, DEPLOYING AND PRODUCING A REPORT. IS AI THE RIGHT WAY TO GO FOR YOUR
ORGANIZATION?

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By
 * Nihad Hassan

Published: 09 Aug 2024

Organizations can use AI tools to take advantage of the numerous benefits that
automated patch management offers, but it comes with some limitations.



Patch management uses software devices and procedures to update digital assets
such as servers, networking devices or any other digital appliance that run an
OS. The goal of patch management is to secure computing devices against
cyberthreats and ensure they use the latest drivers, software versions and
firmware to run smoothly.

Using automated tools for patch management reduces IT support time, makes the
attack surface smaller and helps organizations meet compliance requirements.
Automated patch tools initiate their tasks automatically based on events,
triggers or schedules that admins set to run at predetermined times. A typical
manual patch management process involves the following phases:

 * Scan all computing devices across an organization's IT environment to
   identify missing patches, outdated applications, firmware and drivers.
 * Visit each vendor's website to download and install or update the required
   patch.
 * Test critical patches, such as those installed on key servers, before
   applying them to all other devices so they don't stop any feature or
   function.
 * Manually install patches on all devices.

Automated patch management lets admins execute the previous steps without human
intervention. It involves the following phases:

 * Scan connected devices across an organization's IT environment to identify
   which devices and applications need security patches or updates.
 * Automatically connect to each vendor's website to download patches. For
   example, it can connect to the Cisco portal to patch a Cisco router or
   firewall.
 * Test the patch on some devices before applying it to other devices. This is
   helpful for situations such as applying patches to critical systems that
   can't go offline.
 * Produce a detailed report about the patching activities along with their
   dates, versions and affected systems. These reports are valuable because they
   act as proof of the business's technical competency and adherence to the best
   technical standards in protecting users' sensitive data. Later, these reports
   can be sent to compliance bodies.


HOW DOES AI-DRIVEN PATCH MANAGEMENT FACILITATE PATCH MANAGEMENT?

AI-powered patch management tools can significantly improve the patching process
and make it more intelligent and context aware by performing the following
tasks:


AUTOMATED PATCH IDENTIFICATION

AI can automatically scan connected devices across an organization network and
identify relevant vulnerabilities in real time. AI continually monitors patched
systems and identifies any anomalies or suspicious behavior. AI then applies
remediation actions such as employing additional patches or notifying IT admins
to take further actions.


PATCH PRIORITIZATION

AI-powered patching tools can prioritize required patches based on factors such
as the severity of the vulnerability and its impact on core business functions.
This lets admins focus on the most critical vulnerabilities that can
significantly affect the organization's IT infrastructure and data.


BETTER PATCH COMPATIBILITY ANALYSIS

AI-powered patching tools use machine learning (ML) models to learn from past
patching activities. This improves their ability to identify compatibility
issues that might arise when patching systems, allowing them to act promptly and
roll back patches or revert systems to their original state. This enhances
patching efficiency and saves the time needed to test patches before deployment.


LIMITATIONS OF AI-POWERED TOOLS IN PATCH MANAGEMENT

Despite the numerous benefits of AI-powered patch management, organizations must
consider the following limitations before using the technology:

 * Compatibility issues. When admins apply patching automatically to complicated
   environments, it could lead to unexpected issues or system instability. For
   example, an organization's IT environment might contain a mix of Windows 10
   and XP machines. An AI tool would struggle to automatically patch both
   systems because each one belongs to a different generation of OS.
 * Lack of context awareness. Patching isn't merely dependent on understanding
   the technical issues of the target IT environment. Admins must consider other
   factors when they apply patches, such as regulatory compliance and business
   priorities. Human insight and guidelines are still required during the patch
   lifecycle.
 * Training data quality. The effectiveness of AI-powered patching tools depends
   on the ML models on which they are trained. For instance, if the underlying
   training datasets are incomplete, poisoned or have low quality, the patch
   tool will provide inaccurate recommendations that can severely affect an
   organization's security posture.
 * Vendor lock-in. Depending on a specific AI vendor to provide all of your
   organization's patch management services could result in a vendor lock-in
   situation. This makes shifting to another patch tool complex and costly.
 * Cost. Many SMBs can't afford the costs to maintain an AI-based patch
   automation tool. This can lead to them outsourcing this function, and
   possibly falling victim to vendor lock-in issues.

Nihad A. Hassan is an independent cybersecurity consultant, an expert in digital
forensics and cyber open source intelligence, and a blogger and book author.
Hassan has been actively researching various areas of information security for
more than 15 years and has developed numerous cybersecurity education courses
and technical guides.



DIG DEEPER ON SYSTEMS AUTOMATION AND ORCHESTRATION

 * TOP 7 MOBILE DEVICE MANAGEMENT TOOLS TO CONSIDER
   
   
   By: Gary Olsen

 * OVERVIEW OF NETWORK MANAGEMENT TASKS AND BEST PRACTICES
   
   
   By: Andrew Froehlich

 * WINDOWS SERVER UPDATE SERVICES (WSUS)
   
   
   By: Kinza Yasar

 * SOFTWARE PATCH
   
   By: Cameron Hashemi-Pour

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