Ivanti adds risk-based patch deployment to enhance security

Thu 15 Aug 2024

IT and security company, Ivanti, has announced the launch of new features for Ivanti Neurons for Patch Management.

These enhancements are designed to improve patch settings configuration by enabling multiple parallel deployment tasks, like regular maintenance, priority updates, and zero-day responses, in response to the growing threat landscape.

Ivanti said with the rise in cyber threats and the rapid development of exploits by malicious actors, the traditional approach of manual, once-a-month patching is no longer sufficient. Organisations adhering to this outdated cadence are at increased risk due to delayed responses to emerging vulnerabilities.

Ivanti Neurons for Patch Management’s new risk-based deployment feature aims to address this by allowing continuous patch maintenance that specifically targets critical, fast-emerging threats.

How Ivanti’s Patch Deployment Works

The risk-based patch deployment feature in Ivanti Neurons for Patch Management allows organisations to patch based on vulnerability and compliance needs, effectively breaking down barriers between IT and security teams. This feature supports multiple parallel deployment tasks, including weekly priority updates and zero-day response tasks.

By leveraging a centralised patch management system within Ivanti Neurons, users gain comprehensive visibility into vulnerabilities, including those actively exploited in cyberattacks, enabling a proactive rather than reactive approach to patch management.

Chief Product Officer at Ivanti, Dr. Srinivas Mukkamala, said since threat actors are automating attacks, remediation needs to be automated. Mukkamala added by providing this new feature, Ivanti can enable organisations to keep up with their regular maintenance while accelerating responses to applications that pose more immediate threats.

“Automating responses to priority updates for applications like browsers and telecom apps, and enabling zero-day responses when a known exploit requires immediate action, empowers IT and security teams to continuously and efficiently respond to new threats,” added Mukkamala.

IT Professionals Experience Patch Management Challenges

Ivanti’s recent research highlights the challenges IT professionals face in patch management, including the prioritisation of risk remediation and patch deployment (40%), lack of time to respond to threats (39%), maintaining compliance (35%), and tracking patch status and rollouts (33%).

Analyst at GigaOm, Ron Williams, said good patch management practices in the current global environment require identifying and mitigating the root causes responsible for cyberattacks.

“Patch management also requires the proper tools, processes, and methods to minimise security risks and support the functionality of the underlying hardware or software. Patch prioritisation, testing, implementation tracking, and verification are all part of robust patch management,” added Williams.

The new risk-based deployment feature in Ivanti Neurons for Patch Management is set to help organisations enhance their security posture by ensuring timely and efficient responses to cyber threats.