4PATCHING
Patches are fixes for known problems. Patches are small pieces of software rolled out by developers when they become aware, or are made aware, of a weakness.
Patching is the process of fixing these problems, and securing these revealed vulnerabilities to prevent exploitation. Patching is the first line of defense against what was famously dubbed by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as “the known knowns.”
As vigilant as cybersecurity professionals must remain to new, evolving, and emerging threats (the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns alike), the majority of cybersecurity attacks are the result of hackers exploiting vulnerabilities that are common knowledge but not patched.
Just as spacecraft designers are destined to fail if they ignore how the laws of physics (gravity, thermodynamics, acceleration, inertia, and so on) can degrade their design and its performance, so are those who ignore the “law” of patching. Failure to patch is self-destructive.
The expression cyberhygiene was invented to codify regular patching as comparable to taking a regular shower; it's basic behavior from which few are excused. ...
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