New security patches are a sign that vulnerabilities have been found with an application and cyber criminals know there’s time to exploit them before the new patches have been installed. The length of time between a patch release being announced and being installed depends on how often and regularly vendors release the updates, how disruptive the announcement is, how easy it is for people to stop the reminders and how often the software’s used.
If patches are released on a regular basis, then the recovery time frame is usually shorter, however the more announcements are made, the more users stop receiving the reminders and therefore forget to install the updates, leaving them vulnerable to an attack and at risk of not being PCI compliant.
What happens if you don’t install new patches as soon as possible?
A review of 300,000 application scans showed that information being leaked is the top vulnerability found affecting 72% of all aps. It contains flaws that let the application show sensitive data about the programme and its users. You can wait for cyber criminals to find flaws in your applications or you can hire an ethical hacker to find them first. A penetration test will reveal any vulnerabilities in your applications and can recommend a course of action in order to improve your security.
Patches and updates should be used on both your software and hardware, ensuring all firmware is updated too. A scan of your network will normally reveal if the appliances used to control, monitor and secure the network are running out of date and unsupported firmware.