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【產品資訊】企業360°全方位的PAM管理平台─Senhasegura

特權存取管理 (PAM ) 是一種網路安全策略,專注於控制和保護 IT 環境中具有較高存取權限的帳戶。這些帳戶具有特殊權限,如果受到威脅,可能會對組織造成嚴重損害。


為什麼 PAM 很重要?
網路攻擊經常針對特權帳戶,使攻擊者能夠不受限制地存取機密資料和關鍵系統。 senhasegura PAM 解決方案透過以下方式幫助減輕這些風險:

  1. 嚴格的存取控制:senhasegura PAM 解決方案確定誰有權存取帳戶、何時以及出於什麼目的
  2. 監控和稽核:監控並記錄帳戶活動以偵測可疑行為
  3. 憑證保護:憑證被安全地儲存和加密
  4. 代理訪問:允許透過senhasegura 監視帳戶的訪問,記錄所有使用者操作以供以後審核
  5. 命令控制:允許在代理存取期間阻止特定命令,防止執行有害操作


安全第一的解決方案將重新定義您的身分安全性原則
senhasegura 的革命性創新有效防止特權攻擊,使其成為業界最全面的保護人類和機器身分的解決方案。它經濟實惠且全面,可確保為您組織的關鍵資產提供優質保護,同時提供無與倫比的客戶支援。包含:

  1. 安全特權訪問:PAM Core透過集中控制、實施詳細的存取限制、監督使用者活動和建立深入的稽核追蹤來專業的管理特權帳戶
  2. 安全的遠距工作:Domum Remote Access將遠端使用者安全的連結到內部系統、管理詳細的存取控制權、監控使用者會話並採用多重驗證
  3. DevOps秘密管理:DevOps Secret Manager透過存取控制、自動秘密輪調、與現有DevOps工具整合以及全面的報告和分析來安全的保護敏感資料
  4. 證書管理:證書管理器及中並自動化證書管理、監控證書狀態並與證書頒發機構合作
  5. 端點和設備保護:Endpoint Manager透過監督應用程式使用情況、指派特定權限、管理憑證以及提供全面的報表和分析來實施最低權限原則
  6. 個人密碼管理器:MySafe將使用者憑證權的儲存在加密的保管庫中、產生高強度密碼、自動登入並促進安全的資訊共用
  7. 雲端身份和存取管理:Cloud IAM透過多因素身分驗證、基於角色的控制、稽核追蹤和詳細報告以及與目前身份提供者的相容性來簡化身份管理
  8. 雲端權力和基礎設施管理:雲端權利透過基於角色的控制、持續的風險監控、與雲端提供者的無縫整合以及易於報告的審計追蹤來簡化權利管理


Senhasegura 成功的核心在於其 360° 特權平台,這是一個強大且使用者友好的解決方案,旨在保護特權使用者和機器的安全。 Gartner、KuppingerCole 和 ITRG 等產業分析師一致認為 Senhasegura 是 PAM 領導者,因為該平台在保護敏感資料、降低風險和確保合規性方面非常有效。值得注意的是,Senhasegura 還擁有PAM 行業中最快的價值實現時間 (TTV) 和最低的擁有成本,這使其成為尋求全面特權存取安全的組織的有吸引力的選擇。


【 Senhasegura/特權帳號管理解決方案】 https://version-2.com.tw/senhasegura/#products&domum  
✽ 歡迎電話洽詢台灣二版專業資安團隊(02)7722-6899

關於 Segura®
Segura® 致力於確保企業對其特權操作與資訊的自主掌控。為此,我們透過追蹤管理者在網絡、伺服器、資料庫及眾多裝置上的操作,有效防範資料竊取。此外,我們也協助企業符合稽核要求及最嚴格的標準,包括 PCI DSS、沙賓法案(Sarbanes-Oxley)、ISO 27001 及 HIPAA。

關於 Version 2 Digital
資安解決方案 專業代理商與領導者
台灣二版 ( Version 2 ) 是亞洲其中一間最有活力的 IT 公司,多年來深耕資訊科技領域,致力於提供與時俱進的資安解決方案 ( 如EDR、NDR、漏洞管理 ),工具型產品 ( 如遠端控制、網頁過濾 ) 及資安威脅偵測應 變服務服務 ( MDR ) 等,透過龐大銷售點、經銷商及合作伙伴,提供廣被市場讚賞的產品及客製化、在地化的專業服務。

台灣二版 ( Version 2 ) 的銷售範圍包括台灣、香港、中國內地、新加坡、澳門等地區,客戶涵 蓋各產業,包括全球 1000 大跨國企業、上市公司、公用機構、政府部門、無數成功的中小企業及來自亞 洲各城市的消費市場客戶。

【資安快訊】Palo Alto Networks防火牆配置工具Expedition驚傳重大漏洞遭利用



美國網路安全暨基礎設施安全局(CISA)於本週四證實,Palo Alto Networks 的防火牆配置工具 Expedition 出現重大資安 漏洞(CVE-2024-5910),且已遭駭客積極利用。此漏洞可能導致管理員帳號遭到接管,引發資安疑慮。

根據 Synopsys 網路安全研究中心(CyRC)研究員 Brian Hysell 的發現,此漏洞源自關鍵功能缺乏身分驗證機制。具備網 路存取權限的攻擊者可藉此漏洞輕易接管 Expedition 管理員帳號。Palo Alto Networks 已於 2024 年 7 月釋出修補程式,並 建議無法立即升級的用戶務必限制 Expedition 的網路存取權限。

原文出處:https://www.informationsecurity.com.tw/article/article_detail.aspx?aid=11367

關於 Version 2 Digital
資安解決方案 專業代理商與領導者
台灣二版 ( Version 2 ) 是亞洲其中一間最有活力的 IT 公司,多年來深耕資訊科技領域,致力於提供與時俱進的資安解決方案 ( 如EDR、NDR、漏洞管理 ),工具型產品 ( 如遠端控制、網頁過濾 ) 及資安威脅偵測應 變服務服務 ( MDR ) 等,透過龐大銷售點、經銷商及合作伙伴,提供廣被市場讚賞的產品及客製化、在地化的專業服務。

台灣二版 ( Version 2 ) 的銷售範圍包括台灣、香港、中國內地、新加坡、澳門等地區,客戶涵 蓋各產業,包括全球 1000 大跨國企業、上市公司、公用機構、政府部門、無數成功的中小企業及來自亞 洲各城市的消費市場客戶。

Web應用防火牆(WAF)的發展歷程WAPPLES的智能Web應用防火牆有什麼獨特之處

什麼是 Web 應用防火牆?

Web 應用防火牆 (WAF) 不同於傳統的網絡防火牆。它是一種專為應用層安全設計的解決方案,旨在解決經常被忽視但至關重要的安全架構層面 —— 應用層安全。

為什麼需要 Web 應用防火牆?

現代企業通常使用各種 Web 應用程式,無論是面向公眾的網站還是內部的協作平台,這些應用程式都需要進行細緻且智能的網絡流量檢查,以適應不同的應用和新興的威脅。

傳統的網絡防火牆主要依據網絡層的規則來過濾流量,因此在保護 Web 應用方面非常有限。由於它無法阻擋通過防火牆授權的應用程式發起的攻擊,網絡防火牆難以有效防止應用層的攻擊。

Web 應用防火牆則不同,它能夠深入檢查應用層的資料封包,檢測不正常的 Web 協定和異常行為,識別針對應用層的威脅。

WAF 的核心功能是防範常見的 Web 攻擊,如 SQL 注入、跨站腳本(XSS)等。通過阻擋這些攻擊,WAF 有效地防止敏感資料外洩、未經授權的存取以及網站被篡改或遭遇跨站請求偽造(CSRF)。

Web 應用防火牆的發展歷程

WAF 技術的發展歷經了幾個階段,主要根據其檢測原則來區分。

第一代 WAF:模式匹配檢測

第一代 WAF 通過白名單和黑名單來決定是否允許或阻擋流量。白名單定義合法的流量,黑名單則列出已知的攻擊模式。然而,這種方法常常導致「誤報」,即誤將合法存取視為攻擊。為了減少誤報,系統管理員需要頻繁更新這些名單。

這種方法不僅增加了系統管理的負擔,還容易出現錯誤,導致保護效果不佳。

第二代 WAF:自動化白名單

第二代 WAF 透過自動學習 Web 應用程式的流量行為來建立白名單,然而,這種方法在應對快速變化的 Web 攻擊模式時顯得不足。此外,自動生成的白名單仍需要人工配置,並且黑名單也需不斷更新。

因此,第二代 WAF 並未顯著降低管理員的工作負擔,這促使了第三代 WAF 的誕生 —— 即「智能 WAF」 。

第三代 WAF:基於邏輯的檢測

第三代 WAF 結合了黑名單、白名單和封包分析等多種技術,通過邏輯推理來檢測和分類攻擊。與前兩代相比,這種方法大大降低了誤報率。此外,第三代 WAF 採用基於邏輯的檢測方式,即使面對新型或變異的攻擊,也無需頻繁更新簽名資料庫,能自動進行識別,提升了檢測效率。

這種無簽名的檢測技術減少了系統效能的損耗,使管理員可以專注於策略管理,而不必頻繁維護黑白名單。

WAPPLES – 智能 Web 應用防火牆

WAPPLES 是第三代 WAF 的典型代表之一。它使用無簽名的檢測技術,安裝和維護所需的運行負擔非常低。

WAPPLES 的 COCEP™(內容分類與評估處理)引擎通過邏輯分析來檢測 Web 攻擊。舉個例子,攻擊模式 A 即便經過修改,WAPPLES 也能夠識別並阻擋,而傳統的第一代和第二代 WAF 則無法做到。

假設一個攻擊模式為 [A 是 (水果名稱)]。如果名單中僅包括 [A 是蘋果]、[A 是香蕉] 和 [A 是橙子],那麼 [A 是草莓] 這類變異攻擊將無法檢測到。

然而,若名單中包含 [A 是] 的通用模式,則所有以 [A 是] 開頭的句子,包括無害的 [A 是 (顏色)],都可能被誤判為攻擊,導致大量誤報。

WAPPLES 的 COCEP™ 引擎不僅依賴於簡單的模式匹配,還能通過語義分析來判斷 [A 是] 後面的內容是否具有攻擊性。這樣,WAPPLES 能有效阻擋變異甚至未知的攻擊,提升檢測準確性,同時大幅減少誤報。

因此,WAPPLES 能夠提供更準確的攻擊檢測,並降低誤報風險。

關於 Penta Security
Penta Security 是全球網絡安全、數據安全和物聯網安全領域的領先供應商,擁有 27 年的專業經驗,被 Frost & Sullivan 評為亞洲頂級網絡安全公司。自 2009 年以來,其 Web 應用防火牆 WAPPLES 連續 16 年在韓國市場保持領先地位,並自 2016 年起在整個亞太地區佔據主導市場。此外,Penta Security 也在歐洲、中東及北美市場有所布局。

關於 Version 2 Digital
資安解決方案 專業代理商與領導者
台灣二版 ( Version 2 ) 是亞洲其中一間最有活力的 IT 公司,多年來深耕資訊科技領域,致力於提供與時俱進的資安解決方案 ( 如EDR、NDR、漏洞管理 ),工具型產品 ( 如遠端控制、網頁過濾 ) 及資安威脅偵測應 變服務服務 ( MDR ) 等,透過龐大銷售點、經銷商及合作伙伴,提供廣被市場讚賞的產品及客製化、在地化的專業服務。

台灣二版 ( Version 2 ) 的銷售範圍包括台灣、香港、中國內地、新加坡、澳門等地區,客戶涵 蓋各產業,包括全球 1000 大跨國企業、上市公司、公用機構、政府部門、無數成功的中小企業及來自亞 洲各城市的消費市場客戶。

Best Practices for Writing an IT Security Incident Report

Everyone remembers that one required writing class they needed to take. If you’re like a lot of other security analysts, you assumed that your job would focus on using technology, not writing research papers. However, in today’s business environment, cyber incidents are critical business events, especially as governments and agencies create more reporting requirements. 

 

A cyber incident report is a key element for your incident response process, especially when your organization reviews activities to identify areas of improvement during the lesson’s learned phase. When implementing a structured incident response plan, you should know what an IT security incident response report is, why you need one, and what it should contain.

 

What Is Cyber Incident Reporting?

Cyber incident reporting involves documenting the details of incidents like:

  • Cyber attacks
  • Data breaches
  • Unauthorized access

 

The IT security report typically details an incident’s timeline, including:

  • Date of incident
  • Attacker activities and timing
  • Accounts, resources, and/or data affected
  • Remediation steps taken

 

Cyber reporting is a critical part of the incident response process because organizations can use the documents as part of:

  • Lessons learned: Assessing incident detection and response to identify areas of improvement
  • Implementing controls: Developing new controls to prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future
  • Notification requirements: Communicating with affected parties or others as required by law

 

Why Are IT Security Reports Important?

Documenting an incident’s details and notifying relevant stakeholders promptly provides various benefits.

Maintain Compliance

Most legal and regulatory frameworks require organizations to report cybersecurity incidents to various involved parties, including:

  • Law enforcement
  • Cybersecurity agencies
  • Affected parties, like individuals or companies whose data was compromised

 

Laws have varying timelines for providing notification. For example, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) mandates that organizations report a data breach within 72 hours. Meanwhile, under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), covered entities must notify affected parties within 60 days.

 

Failure to comply with these notification requirements can lead to fines or other penalties.

 

Improve Risk and Threat Awareness

A detailed cyber security incident report provides insight into potential weaknesses. By analyzing the incident’s underlying causes, security teams can improve their risk models and close security gaps. The organization can use this information to address new threats then implement new security controls to mitigate risk.

Build Trust With Clients, Customers, and Stakeholders

Transparency during data breaches builds trust with stakeholders by demonstrating professionalism and urgency. Open communication about incidents reinforces that no organization is immune to cyber threats, showcasing commitment to data protection. While the organization will remove sensitive information related to its own security, the IT security incident report provides a timeline that can act as the foundation for these communications.

 

Cyber Reporting Challenges

Reporting, like compliance, is a process that can become overwhelming, especially for understaffed security teams.

 

Gathering Information

Under the pressure of an ongoing incident, security teams need to investigate quickly. Isolation and recovery are the critical steps. They document their activities, but they have no time to organize their documentation. Once they contain the threat and recover systems, they spend time putting the puzzle pieces together.

 

Creating a timeline

In a perfect world, incident investigations start with the first alert that the attackers trigger. Across complex, interconnected systems, the activity that initiates an investigation may not be that first alert. Additionally, many alerts only provide a quick glimpse into a moment in time. For example, Sigma rules provide insight that an event occurred but often lack context, like previous or follow up events.

 

Turning data into a narrative

Alerts and ticketing system notes are simply data points. They provide insight into discrete actions. For a cybersecurity incident report, analysts need to turn these events into a narrative. For example, the system may have sent a Windows Event alert with the ID 4625, “attempt made to logon with unknown user name or bad password and failed.” However, the security analyst needs to translate that “what happened” into the “why it matters.”

 

Using sensitive environment data

Although large language models (LLMs) can turn raw data into a narrative, cyber incident report data contains sensitive information, including user IDs or internal identifiers. Unfortunately, feeding data into a public LLM makes that information part of the technology’s database, creating a data leak issue.

 

What Needs to Be in a Cyber Security Incident Report?

Since organizations use IT security reports to document and learn from incidents, reports need to include technical and non-technical information that outlines various event details.

 

Executive summary

The executive summary provides a clear, concise overview of the cybersecurity incident for a broad audience, highlighting:

  • Key finding
  • Actions taken
  • Impact on stakeholder
  • Incident ID
  • Incident summary, with type, time, duration, and affected systems/data

 

Potential Phishing Attack Timeline

 

Incident details

This section captures critical information about the incident, including:

  • Nature of threat
  • Business impact
  • Immediate actions taken
  • When/how incident occurred
  • Who/what was affected
  • Overall scope

 

Critical Events, Logs, and Assets Impacted by this Potential Phishing Attack

 

Attack vector details

Attack vector details identify the specific vulnerabilities that attackers exploited, including technical details like:

  • Open ports
  • Weak credentials
  • Phishing URLS
  • Source IP addresses for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks

 

Systems and assets affected

This section outlines the technology assets impact, including:

  • Servers
  • Storage
  • Network device
  • User devices

 

Additionally, it details the damage that the incident causes, like data corruption, to evaluate the impact on business operations.

 

Business impact assessment

A business impact assessment evaluates the operational disruptions and data compromises resulting from the cyber incident. It reviews any

  • Financial losses
  • Regulatory implications
  • Long-term consequences

 

Incident response actions

Incident response actions highlight the steps taken from detection to remediation, including

  • Preparation
  • Containment
  • Recovery

 

Detailing these activities can identify areas of improvement that enable the organization to update controls.

Communication and notification logs

Communication and notification logs show how the organization shared information about the incident for compliance and accountability purposes. These logs detail communications with all affected parties informed, including

  • Internal teams
  • External stakeholders
  • Regulatory authorities

 

Conclusions

In the conclusions, the cybersecurity incident report provides a comprehensive overview of the event, its impact, and insights for future prevention.

 

Graylog Security: Responsible AI for Automating IT Security Incident Reporting

Reading every log generated during a security incident is overwhelming, but the individual logs are only limited pieces of discrete information. To gain full visibility into an incident, you need to aggregate the data and understand the timeline.

 

With Graylog Security, you can create AI-generated incident reports using your organization’s log data while maintaining control and security over the information in the logs. At the click of a button, our AI interface analyzes all the logs and provides a report based on what it found, what it sees happening based on the data, and recommendations for mitigating the issue. Since all data you need remains in your Graylog deployment or in Data Warehouse, you maintain control, security, and privacy over your most sensitive environment data.

About Graylog 
At Graylog, our vision is a secure digital world where organizations of all sizes can effectively guard against cyber threats. We’re committed to turning this vision into reality by providing Threat Detection & Response that sets the standard for excellence. Our cloud-native architecture delivers SIEM, API Security, and Enterprise Log Management solutions that are not just efficient and effective—whether hosted by us, on-premises, or in your cloud—but also deliver a fantastic Analyst Experience at the lowest total cost of ownership. We aim to equip security analysts with the best tools for the job, empowering every organization to stand resilient in the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.

About Version 2 Digital

Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

IT Security Myth Clarification and Best Practices

Have you ever wondered if your business is truly at risk of a cyberattack? It’s a common misconception to think that criminals target only large corporations or high-profile entities. Many believe that their business, whether large or small, is less likely to attract the attention of sophisticated hackers. However, this assumption is misleading. Cybercriminals don’t select their targets based on the size of the business; they seek out vulnerabilities and weaknesses that can be exploited. Often, businesses with fewer resources or weaker security measures are seen as easier targets.
IT Security Best Practices
Dispelling IT Security Myths and Misconceptions
In this blog, we’ll address and disprove prevalent myths about security stance, and provide an IT security best practices checklist to strengthen your defenses. From a multi-layered security approach to endpoint security and regular security assessments, these practices are designed to help you build a resilient security framework and protect your business from all kinds of security threats.

Revealing the Numbers: IT Security Statistics You Must Know

Statistic Percentage
Small businesses going out of business after a cyberattack 60%
Data breaches caused by human error 95%
Data breaches motivated by financial gain 93%
Cyber breaches targeting companies with fewer than 1,000 employees 46%
Source[1]

Dispelling IT Security Myths and Misconceptions

Before diving into IT security practices, it’s important to debunk some common myths that can undermine your efforts. Many businesses mistakenly believe small companies are too insignificant to be targeted or that traditional security measures are enough to fend off sophisticated phishing attempts. Addressing these misconceptions is key to understanding how to strengthen your defenses and maintain a strong security posture for your business.

Myth 1: “We’re Too Small to Be a Target”

Cybercriminals often target small and medium-sized businesses because they perceive them as having weaker security defenses. The assumption that “small” means “safe” is misleading. In reality, smaller businesses can be significant targets due to their potentially less sophisticated security measures. Attackers look for vulnerabilities, and if your defenses are not strong enough, your business could be an attractive target.

Myth 2: “Traditional Security Measures Are Enough for Phishing Protection”

Basic security measures, such as standard email filters, often fall short when it comes to sophisticated phishing attacks. Hackers continuously evolve their tactics, creating increasingly convincing phishing schemes that can bypass traditional defenses. To effectively combat these threats, advanced phishing protection tools and techniques are necessary. These include machine learning algorithms and behavioral analysis that can detect and block sophisticated phishing attempts.

Myth 3: “We Have Antivirus Software, So We’re Safe”

Relying solely on antivirus is not sufficient for comprehensive protection. Modern security threats are complex and often evade traditional antivirus solutions. A multi-layered security approach is essential, incorporating additional tools such as Endpoint Protection and Response (EDR) solutions, real-time threat detection, and data encryption. This multifaceted strategy ensures a more robust defense against various types of cyber threats.

Myth 4: “Cybersecurity Is Only an IT Issue”

Cybersecurity is not just an IT responsibility, it is a critical business-wide concern. Effective security requires engagement and awareness from all departments within the organization. Everyone, from executives to front-line employees, must understand their role in maintaining security. This includes participating in organization-wide training, adhering to security policies, and being alert about potential threats.

Myth 5: “Compliance Equals Security”

Meeting regulatory compliance requirements is an important aspect of security, but it does not guarantee full protection against all threats. Compliance often focuses on specific standards and may not address all potential vulnerabilities. To achieve comprehensive security, businesses need to implement additional measures beyond regulatory requirements, including advanced security solutions and continuous monitoring and updates.

Myth 6: “UEM is Only for Large Enterprises”

There’s a common misconception that Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) solutions are only relevant for large businesses. In reality, UEM provides significant benefits for businesses of all sizes. UEM solutions offer scalable, cost-effective management of all endpoints, ensuring security policies are enforced, devices are compliant, and sensitive data is protected. SMBs can leverage UEM to improve security and streamline device management efficiently.

IT Security Best Practices for Strong Defense

Now that we’ve debunked some common security myths, let’s dive into the essential IT security best practices that can help strengthen your business’s defenses.

1. Multi-Layered Security Approach

Enforcing a multi-layered security strategy to create a strong defense against diverse threats is important. Start with firewalls to control network traffic, deploy antivirus software for malware protection, and use encryption to safeguard sensitive data both at rest and in transit. Regularly update these layers to adapt to evolving threats and ensure each component integrates easily with others for optimal protection.

2. Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)

Adopting a UEM solution to efficiently manage and secure all endpoints within your business is highly beneficial. Configure UEM to enforce security policies such as password complexity, encryption, and remote wipe capabilities. Utilize UEM dashboards to monitor device compliance, detect potential security issues, and respond quickly to incidents, ensuring all endpoints meet your security standards.

3. Regular Security Assessments

Schedule and conduct regular security assessments, including vulnerability scans, risk assessments, and security audits. Utilize automated tools to identify potential vulnerabilities and conduct manual reviews to uncover hidden risks. Review the results with your IT team to prioritize and address issues, and update your security measures based on the findings to continually strengthen your defenses.

4. Advanced Phishing Protection

Implement advanced phishing protection solutions that go beyond traditional email filters. Use machine learning and behavioral analysis to detect suspicious emails and malicious links. Train employees to recognize phishing attempts and employ multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add an additional layer of security for accessing critical systems.

5. Real-Time Threat Detection

Deploy real-time threat detection systems to monitor network and system activity continuously. Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) and intrusion prevention systems (IPS) to identify and respond to anomalies in real time. Configure alerts to notify your IT team of potential threats immediately, enabling prompt investigation and response to mitigate risks effectively.

6. Endpoint Protection and Response (EDR) Tools

Install EDR tools on all endpoints to provide comprehensive monitoring, detection, and response capabilities. Configure EDR to track endpoint activities, detect malicious behavior, and automate responses to known threats. Regularly review EDR reports to identify patterns and refine your security strategy based on the insights gained from endpoint data.

7. Data Encryption and Backup

Implementing data encryption to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access can be very helpful. Use strong encryption standards for both data at rest (stored data) and data in transit (data being transmitted). Set up regular backups to ensure that critical data can be restored in the event of a breach or loss. Test backup procedures periodically to verify data integrity and recovery processes.

8. Regular Software Updates and Patch Management

Establish a routine for applying software updates and patches to address known vulnerabilities. Use automated patch management tools to streamline the process and reduce the risk of delays. Monitor for new updates and security advisories, and ensure timely deployment across all systems and applications to prevent exploitation of unpatched vulnerabilities.

9. Monitor and Audit Security Posture

Continuously monitor your security posture using security information and event management (SIEM) systems and regular audits. Analyze security logs and audit reports to identify trends, potential weaknesses, and compliance issues. Use the insights gained to make informed decisions about improving security measures and address any gaps identified during the monitoring process.

10. Organization-Wide Training

Develop and deliver comprehensive security training programs for all employees. Include topics such as identifying phishing attempts, understanding data protection policies, and following incident response procedures. Conduct regular training sessions and simulations to reinforce knowledge and ensure employees stay updated on the latest security practices and threats.

Strengthening Your IT Security

Whether you’re a small business or a larger enterprise, the steps you take now to secure your systems, data, and network can make all the difference. It’s time to adopt an active stance regarding security. Review your current practices, identify any gaps, and ensure that you’re not only meeting compliance requirements but going beyond them to address potential vulnerabilities. Start putting IT security standards and best practices into action by leveraging solutions like Veltar to manage and secure your endpoints effectively. Veltar provides a comprehensive endpoint security solution that safeguards your data across all devices. With unified endpoint security and advanced threat protection, Veltar ensures your data remains encrypted both at rest and in transit. Regularly updating your security measures with Veltar will help you stay ahead of emerging threats. By doing so, you’ll protect your business and lay the groundwork for sustainable growth. Consult our product experts to learn more about how Veltar can enhance your endpoint security strategy.

About Scalefusion
Scalefusion’s company DNA is built on the foundation of providing world-class customer service and making endpoint management simple and effortless for businesses globally. We prioritize the needs and feedback of our customers, making sure that they are at the forefront of all decision-making processes. We are dedicated to providing comprehensive customer support services, and place emphasis on customer-centric thinking throughout the organization.

About Version 2 Digital
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

What is Server Patching? Types, Importance, and Best Practices

Modern businesses, regardless of size, rely on their server operating systems for daily operations. For instance, think of your organization as a fortress, with servers as its gates. Leaving these gates unsecured, opens up the possibility for a major security breach. It is much like leaving your valuables unattended in a public space. The dependency on servers makes it a continuous responsibility to protect these systems from vulnerabilities.

server patching
Server Patching for Modern Businesses

Moreover, recent statistics reveal that in 2024, over 90% of successful attacks exploited unpatched vulnerabilities[1]—a figure that underscores just how critical timely patching is for preventing breaches and minimizing risks. This is where server patching acts as the savior that safeguards these gates (servers), preventing attacks and ensuring the security of your digital assets.

Let’s explore the essentials of server patching, its importance, working, and best practices, and discover how Scalefusion UEM can elevate your server patching process. 

What is server patching?

Server Patching applies patches that combat vulnerabilities, fix known bugs, and resolve security breaches in the server operating system such as Windows Server 2022.  The primary goal of these patches is to improve system security, stability, and performance. Regular server patching is essential for maintaining a secure and reliable IT infrastructure. It protects the server from potential threats and safeguards data from malicious exploits.

Did You Know? 
A patch and an update are two different concepts. A patch is a targeted fix for a specific issue or vulnerability, while an update is a more comprehensive upgrade that includes various improvements and changes. Patches are usually smaller and quicker to install, as they only address specific problems.

Why is Server Patching Needed?

Server patching is mandatory for maintaining a secure and reliable IT infrastructure. It serves multiple purposes that go beyond just fixing bugs:

a. Protection Against Vulnerability Attacks: Patches are designed to fix security gaps in server operating systems and applications, protecting against potential attacks like malware, ransomware, and other potential threats that exploit known vulnerabilities.

b. Safeguarding Organizational Data: By addressing security flaws, patching ensures sensitive organizational data remains protected from unauthorized access, breaches, and leaks, which could otherwise lead to significant reputational and financial damage.

c. Ensuring Business Continuity and Minimizing Downtime: Regular server patching helps prevent system failures, software crashes, and security breaches that could disrupt business operations, keeping services up and running without prolonged downtime.

d. Reducing Financial Risks: Inadequate patching can lead to hefty breaches and downtime, resulting in financial penalties, lost business opportunities, or damage control. Timely patches minimize these risks and help protect the organization’s security posture from the bottom line.

e. Achieving Regulatory Compliance: Many industries are bound by regulations such as HIPAA and GDPR that require maintaining updated security measures for data protection. Regular patching ensures compliance with industry standards and helps avoid legal penalties.

f. Enhancing System Performance and Reliability: Patches also include performance improvements and bug fixes, ensuring servers run efficiently and reliably. This optimizes overall system performance, providing users with a seamless experience and supporting business goals.

Types of server patches

Based on their purpose and the issues they address, server patches are mainly of three types:

a. Security patches: Address specific vulnerabilities that threat actors can exploit to gain unauthorized access, compromise data, or propagate malware. These patches enable organizations to protect their servers from breaches and maintain a secure operational environment.

b. Bug fixes: Resolve bugs or issues that can cause severe damage to the operating system and address server errors that can cause performance or stability issues.

c. Feature update: Allows you to upgrade from an outdated operating system to a current version while keeping your settings, server roles, and data intact. You must evaluate the impact of feature patches and test them thoroughly before applying them to the server system.

How does the server patching process work?

Initially, the server patching process might seem like a task needing IT expertise. However, it is a fundamental security measure that can be executed with basic technological knowledge. The process of server patching has five steps:

1. Identifying patching requirements: Identify all unpatched servers in your network, including on-prem, cloud, and virtual. Once the unpatched servers are identified, perform a vulnerability scan for those servers.

2. Assessment and planning:  Evaluate servers based on the severity of their vulnerability. For example, production servers or servers handling company resources and data are of higher priority than development or testing servers. The more critical the server, the greater the impact of a vulnerability or an outage.

Then, assess any patch dependencies on other software. Reviewing such dependencies helps avoid compatibility issues during deployment. Lastly, plan a deployment time that does not disrupt the ongoing business operations.

3. Testing server patches: Apply the server patches in the test environment and monitor for any issues or performance impacts.  Record any changes in system behavior or performance issues post-patch. This allows you to address potential problems before rolling out patches to production servers.

4. Patch deployment: Once the patch has been tested and is ready for deployment, initiate the patch installation process through a patch management or server patching software.

5. Verification and monitoring: After patching the servers, ensure that the vulnerabilities have been addressed. Verify that all servers, applications, services, and dependencies are functioning properly.

Ensure that the patched servers comply with internal and regulatory standards. Finally, continue monitoring the patched servers for ongoing stability and performance.

IT teams should refer to guidelines specific to their operating environments to gain a deeper understanding of how these processes apply to different server types, such as Windows server patching.

Best Practices for Server Patching

1. Establish a patch management policy

Creating a patch management policy is essential for effective server patching in your IT environment. This policy outlines the procedures to identify, apply, and verify server patches. A clear patch management policy ensures that patches are applied consistently and that the server’s security, stability, and performance are maintained.

Your policy must specify actions for identifying and applying necessary patches. This protects your servers, minimizes risks, and reduces downtime. Regular patching helps maintain an optimal server environment, safeguarding your IT infrastructure from vulnerabilities and malicious threats.

2. Maintain an inventory of assets

Maintaining an accurate record of hardware and software assets across the network is essential for effective patching. This inventory ensures that all relevant servers are accounted for in the patching process and no critical infrastructures are overlooked.

3. Have a risk-based approach to server patching

Adopting a risk-based approach is essential for effective server patch management. This involves assessing vulnerabilities in servers, understanding how likely they are to be exploited, and considering their potential impact on server performance and security.

Since it is not feasible to patch every single vulnerability, a risk-based approach helps IT teams prioritize based on urgency and risk. Critical patches should be applied immediately, while less urgent updates can be scheduled for later. By evaluating risks and potential impacts, IT teams can prioritize patches to keep servers secure and running smoothly.

4. Create a server patch management schedule

Consistency is essential in server patch management. Setting a routine schedule for checking and applying patches helps mitigate vulnerabilities before exploitation.  Ensure that you create a schedule that does not disrupt the business operation, for instance after work hours or during maintenance windows.

Each OS has its patch release cycle—Microsoft, for example, updates on the second Tuesday of each month, while Linux and other applications may vary. To stay current, check for patches at least weekly and subscribe to security alerts, like Microsoft Security Alerts, for notifications of critical patches outside the regular cycle.

A documented schedule should detail the frequency of checks, how patches are obtained, and deployment steps. This ensures servers are patched promptly to maintain a secure and reliable IT environment.

5. Automate server patching

Manual server patching is outdated as it leads to unnecessary time consumption and human errors. Automation speeds up this patching process and ensures that patches are applied consistently across all servers. It enables you to schedule patches and keep a detailed track of the patch status of your servers, which in turn helps take strategic actions related to server patching.

6. Adopt patch management software

Investing in a strong patch management tool is beneficial as it leads to a reliable server patching process.  A patch management software centralizes and streamlines the patching workflow.   It provides IT teams with a comprehensive view of network health, enabling them to prioritize urgent issues effectively.

Patch management software reduces manual effort, and automates patch deployment thus, saving valuable time. It enables you to create a maintenance window for applying patches. This ensures that server patching does not impact the day-to-day work.

Furthermore, it enhances your security posture by simplifying the patching process for both servers and endpoints. With the right patch management solution in place, you can address vulnerabilities quickly and ensure that the IT environment remains secure and resilient against potential threats.

7. Design a backup server environment

Backups are essential for protecting data, software, and systems in the event of failed patch management. They provide a safe environment to revert to if the primary server encounters failures, damage, or abnormal functionality after a patch is applied.

While testing patches before deployment reduces the likelihood of requiring failovers, issues can still arise during patch application. A backup server environment acts as a safety net, allowing for a quick recovery in case of unexpected disruptions.

Preparing with system backups ensures teams can easily revert to a previous state if a patch fails or causes system instability, preserving operational continuity and data integrity.

8. Test server patches

Before applying patches to production servers, you must test them in a controlled environment. Create a staging or sandbox environment that mirrors the production servers to test patches without disrupting ongoing operations.

Test the patches and closely monitor the system for any signs of disruption. Pay attention to system behavior, performance, and application functionality. This way you ensure that the patch will not negatively impact the server or its associated services, providing you the confidence to deploy it to the actual server.

9. Perform regular audits

Conducting periodic reviews of your patch management process ensures that all servers are up to date with the latest security patches and updates. Audits help identify any remaining gaps in your patching cycle.

Perform regular audits to evaluate the effectiveness of applied patches, and ensure compliance with security standards and regulations. They provide valuable insights into potential vulnerabilities that may have been overlooked, enabling proactive risk management, and leading to a secure overall security posture.

How Scalefusion UEM Facilitates Server Patching?

Scalefusion UEM offers MDM Agent-based Windows Server OS patch management capabilities that allow you to configure server OS patch policy on the managed Windows server devices to ensure that the rollouts are controlled. Some of its salient features are:

1. Patch scheduling

Enables you to define schedules for applying server patches based on time, day, and week. This ensures that patches are applied without interrupting daily operations. You can set automated patching for critical updates, enhancing security and subsequently reducing the IT team’s cognitive load.

2. Sync interval

Allows you to configure the sync interval for checking patch updates. This offers flexibility for how often the Scalefusion MDM agent will check for and apply the latest patches.

3. Force device reboot post-patch deployment

Enables you to configure what the device reboot behavior should be, once a patch is deployed. You can choose to:

  • Prompt for Reboot: After a patch is applied, the system will prompt users to reboot their device. This ensures that updates are fully integrated and operational.
  • Force after 5 minutes:  If the device isn’t rebooted manually, it will automatically restart 5 minutes after the patch installation.
  • Force after 10 minutes: Similarly, if the device is still not rebooted, a 10-minute delay will trigger an automatic restart, ensuring the patch is fully applied without further delay.

4. Centralized dashboard for better visibility

Enables you to monitor and manage all patches from a single dashboard. Provides you an optimal visibility of your server inventory. This helps identify the patched and unpatched servers on a single screen. You ensure that the patched servers comply with internal and regulatory standards and monitor the patched servers for ongoing stability and performance.

Enhance Server Patching with Scalefusion UEM

Scalefusion UEM offers a powerful solution for Windows server patch management. You can ensure the security, stability, and performance of your Windows servers within your enterprise environments. As a UEM-integrated Windows server patching software, it streamlines the patching process for Windows Servers while offering endpoint management. Its comprehensive features make it a preferred choice for administrators who aim to secure and optimize their server infrastructure efficiently.

About Scalefusion
Scalefusion’s company DNA is built on the foundation of providing world-class customer service and making endpoint management simple and effortless for businesses globally. We prioritize the needs and feedback of our customers, making sure that they are at the forefront of all decision-making processes. We are dedicated to providing comprehensive customer support services, and place emphasis on customer-centric thinking throughout the organization.

About Version 2 Digital
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.