Patch Management vs. Vulnerability Management

The threat of cybercrime is ever-evolving and increasing. By the end of 2025, the estimated cost of global cybercrime will reach $10.5 trillion. Compare that to 2015’s $3 trillion and it’s easy to see why tackling and mitigating cyber threats should be at the top of every IT professional’s priority list. To prevent cyber breaches from impacting business operations, companies must take proactive steps to fortify its security perimeter and reduce their potential attack surface.

Notably, patch management and vulnerability management are critical processes that work together to lower your overall risk profile by first identifying software vulnerabilities and then patching them. While these cybersecurity practices share some similarities, each serves a unique purpose.

Below, we discuss the difference between the two practices and provide tips and insights to help you stave off cyber threats in your organization.

Patch Management and Vulnerability Management:

What’s the Difference?

The terms patch management and vulnerability management are often used as synonyms. This is understandable given that they both seek to discover and close security vulnerabilities.

Where they differ, however, is in terms of scope:

Patch management: More narrowly focused on installing software and firmware updates to either address bugs in the source code or add new features and functionalities.

Vulnerability management: Broader in scope; seeks to identify and address all types of security risks an organization may face, e.g., digital, physical or organizational.

Let’s explore each security tool in more depth.

Patch Management

Patching is the practice of inserting new code to “patch” a functionality or vulnerability issue within a system. The security patch is typically released by the vendor and installed by IT teams during a system update.

Generally speaking, patch management is the process by which a business identifies issues, develops fixes and implements changes. The most common areas where patches are needed include applications, operating systems and embedded systems.

One of the distinguishing features about patch vs. vulnerability management is that the former doesn’t necessarily involve network security issues. In some cases, a patch can fix bugs that negatively impact user experience, or provide new features that improve an application’s functionality.

So, what does the patch management process entail?

The answer isn’t universal. The reason for that being, there are currently various regulatory frameworks (such as NIST and PCI) that require an organization to establish a patch management protocol. This can be confusing since each enterprise and sector may impose slightly different types of patch management.

However, by studying the various strategies, it’s possible to highlight several patch management best practices, such as:

• Identifying the regulations or policies that govern the industry
• Establishing a patch management policy
• Categorizing all critical assets
• Prioritizing high-risk devices
• Reviewing internal and external security vulnerabilities
• Consolidating systems
• Automating processes where possible

Vulnerability Management

A vulnerability is a weakness in an information system, system security procedures, internal controls or implementation that could be exploited or triggered by a threat source.

-The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Vulnerability management is the systematic process an organization can deploy to identify, analyze and neutralize critical vulnerability. Ideally, the goal is to eliminate security issues before they wreak havoc on a company’s privacy practices or business operations.

Similar to patch management, vulnerability management is cyclical. Meaning, IT teams must continuously use safety tools to include new applications, devices and systemic changes and address emerging threats. This process is often accomplished with the help of automated solutions that streamline the process and vulnerability scanners that monitor the environment.

Although the specific steps will vary depending on the business and industry, most risk-based vulnerability management processes will include three key aspects:

1. Discovery: Identifying and categorizing critical assets, as well as potential threats associated with the asset, within an environment.
2. Prioritization: Ranking the discovered software vulnerabilities according to the threat they pose to an organization. Obviously, the more pressing issues are given high/higher priority.
3. Remediation: Outlining the actions needed to mitigate, if not eliminate, the security vulnerability.

Comparing the Two Practices

What is the major difference between the two security practices?

Essentially, patch management is a key aspect of vulnerability management, but the same can’t be said in reverse. Most types of patch management fall within the category of IT, whereas vulnerability management is a critical component of organizational security.

Remember, not all patches will contain security fixes. That said, patch management is just one piece of the larger vulnerability management puzzle. While there’s obviously overlap within the broader vulnerability vs. patch management conversation, the TL;DR is that they are not the same. Vulnerability management addresses all types of security issues, while patch management pinpoints and patches specific vulnerabilities.

Syncro—The Best of Both Worlds

Syncro’s patch management software can help your MSP maintain third-party applications, automate Windows management and generate reports about potential vulnerabilities.

Our modern managed services provider platform combines the capabilities of remote monitoring and management (RMM) and professional services automation (PSA) to give you the tools you need to succeed in spite of ongoing cybersecurity challenges.

Schedule a demo today to see for yourself.

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