Boost your System Security with Virtual Patching

Article written in collaboration with Trend Micro, an oXya partner.

As corporate infrastructures become more complex – from decentralization to the adoption of cloud, mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies – patch management has become increasingly time-consuming and resource-demanding.

However, delays in applying patches come with risks. Currently, the majority of security breaches are due to unpatched vulnerabilities. Data breaches can result in millions of dollars in financial losses, not to mention the substantial regulatory fines.

Moreover, unpatched vulnerabilities also expose businesses to ransomware attacks and targeted campaigns that exploit unpatched vulnerabilities. The shift to remote work has also amplified the urgency to patch vulnerabilities in the tools used in this context (such as VPN).

Why Is Patch Management A Challenge for Businesses?

Organizations face many challenges when implementing a vulnerability and patch management policy, including:

• Business Continuity

While applying regular updates is good practice, many organizations find the patching process so slow, disruptive and costly that some choose to postpone it (or do away with it altogether) in order to avoid operational downtime.

• High Volume of Vulnerabilities

This is particularly true for organizations that are constantly updating their IT infrastructures, as they have to correct a growing list of vulnerabilities. According to Trend Micro data, which includes contributions from over 10,000 independent researchers participating in its Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) program, the number of discovered and referenced vulnerabilities that were reported surged by 44% between 2021 and 2023.

• Limited Visibility

Large infrastructures require more complex update processes. These infrastructures are generally made up of different OS versions and applications, which are sometimes also distributed across multiple locations, making comprehensive updates more challenging.

• Frequent Patch Cycles

Effective patch management has become difficult. It requires determining which vulnerabilities are the most relevant and critical, combining exploitability and exposure criteria.

• Unpatched Legacy Systems

Many legacy systems no longer have available patches, leaving them vulnerable, even if they are still being used to perform critical operations. Embedded systems, such as those in POS terminals, IoT devices and industrial control systems, often have software or components that cannot be patched.

What Happens to Unpatched IT Infrastructures?

Once a vulnerability is disclosed, reported, or discovered, it becomes a race against time for companies. For cybercriminals and threat actors, however, it’s an opportunity. On average, companies take about 69 days to fix a critical vulnerability in their infrastructure, and it takes them around 60 days to realize they’ve been breached.

This window of exposure leaves unpatched systems vulnerable to threats. Over the past 3 years, numerous attack campaigns have regularly targeted unpatched servers to install ransomware, putting corporate networks at serious risk.

How can Virtual Patching Help?

Virtual Patching – or vulnerability protection – is a security measure against threats that exploit vulnerabilities. It automatically applies the right security rules (CVE-by-CVE coverage) at the network level to prevent exploits to and from a vulnerability.

Virtual Patching must be multi-layered. It inspects and blocks malicious activity in business-critical traffic, detects and prevents potential intrusions, thwart attacks on applications, and can be deployed in physical, virtual or cloud environments.

These virtual patches complement an organization’s existing security technologies as well as its vulnerability and patch management policies:

• Time Savings

Virtual Patching gives security teams the time they need to assess vulnerabilities, test and apply the necessary permanent patches.

• Avoids Unnecessary Downtime

Virtual Patching gives companies greater flexibility to apply their patch management policies on their own schedule. This helps minimize potential revenue losses caused by unplanned business interruptions.

• Improved Regulatory Compliance

Virtual Patching helps companies meet deadlines, such as those imposed by the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Payment Card Industry (PCI).

• Added Security

Virtual Patching secures infrastructure components no longer supported by patches, such as end-of-life systems (e.g., Windows Server 2008/2012) or where updating is costly.

• Greater Flexibility

It minimizes emergency patch deployments, allowing targeted patching of specific network points or all systems, as needed.

Virtual Patching in oXya’s Service Offering

oXya is committed to guaranteeing the day-to-day security of both its internal systems and those of its customers. To this end, oXya has collaborated with Trend Micro, an SAP-certified partner, choosing its antivirus and creating over 200 tailored scanning policies for every critical application, including SAP. Thanks to its Trend Micro expertise and its extensive knowledge of its customers’ systems, oXya provides its clients with a high level of protection.

Through oXya’s range of cybersecurity services, customers can also maximize their level of protection based on their specific security needs. Among these services, oXya offers Trend Micro’s Virtual Patching solution. At the request of its customers, oXya can activate the IPS (Intrusion Prevention System) module on Trend Micro agents installed on their servers. This blocks the exploitation of the most critical and exploited vulnerabilities between two Patch Management cycles or secures unsupported OS versions.

Discover more about oXya’s advanced cybersecurity services here.