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To reduce the time vulnerable systems remain exposed, build a repeatable routine: know what you run, review vendor security notices, prioritize exploited and internet-facing vulnerabilities, install updates, verify they took effect, and scan regularly for what remains. A scan finds issues; it does not fix them, and no single update deadline or scan interval fits every device and organization.
Why updating needs a follow-through
Security maintenance is more than clicking “Update.” NIST defines patch management as identifying, acquiring, installing, and verifying patches. Patches often address software or firmware flaws, and applying them can reduce opportunities for exploitation. The process is only complete when you have checked that deployment succeeded and dealt with anything left behind. NIST’s patch-management guidance explains the security role of patches.
Scanning is a separate detection step. It can help reveal missing updates, outdated versions, and other vulnerabilities, but findings still need an owner, remediation, and confirmation. CISA recommends regular scanning and patching, with particular attention to internet-facing systems and known exploited vulnerabilities. CISA’s StopRansomware Guide provides that broader defensive advice.
A repeatable update-and-scan routine
1. Know what is in scope
Keep an inventory of devices, operating systems, applications, firmware, and internet-facing services. Include systems that are off-network or managed by another team when they are part of your environment. You cannot reliably prioritize or remediate assets you do not know exist. CISA’s federal asset-visibility directive illustrates the importance of inventory, but its specific requirements apply to covered federal agencies rather than every household or business. CISA Binding Operational Directive 23-01.
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2. Check supported update channels and security notices
Use the vendor’s supported update mechanism and review its security advisories for products you actually use. Pay particular attention to vulnerabilities that are known to be exploited and to systems reachable from the internet. CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog is one source organizations can use to identify vulnerabilities requiring priority attention; it does not replace vendor instructions or applicable policy.
3. Prioritize by risk and operational impact
Address known exploited flaws and exposed systems promptly, while considering the asset’s importance, available mitigations, and the impact of taking it offline or changing it. A critical service may need a tested maintenance window; an exposed system with an actively exploited flaw may warrant faster action or temporary exposure reduction. Set internal response targets according to risk and obligations that actually apply. CISA’s federal deadlines in BOD 23-01 are not universal consumer or business patching deadlines.
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4. Install, restart if required, and verify
Apply the update through the supported channel. If the update requires a restart, complete it rather than assuming installation is finished. Then check the installed version, update status, or device-management record. For organizational systems, follow the relevant change process and test first when service risk or availability makes testing necessary. NIST’s enterprise guidance covers inventory, patching, and verification, while its implementation practice guide addresses testing and organizational processes: NIST SP 800-40 Rev. 4 (2022) and NIST SP 1800-31 (April 2022).
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Run vulnerability scans regularly enough to discover missing updates and other exposures before they linger unnoticed. Choose the cadence based on exposure, asset criticality, the rate at which systems change, vendor guidance, and any applicable policy or sector requirements. CISA BOD 23-01 includes specific scanning requirements for its covered federal agencies; those requirements should not be treated as a general-purpose interval. When a scan finds an issue, assign an owner, remediate it, and confirm the result through a follow-up scan or other reliable verification.
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6. Track exceptions until they are resolved
If a patch cannot be applied promptly, record the affected asset, vulnerability, reason for delay, accountable owner, and next review point. Seek vendor guidance and consider a tested workaround, isolation, or reduced exposure while resolving the blocker. NIST’s practice guide discusses workarounds and isolation in some situations. CISA’s Log4j advice is an incident-specific example of risk-informed patching and vendor mitigations when updates cannot be applied; it should not be read as a universal mitigation recipe. CISA Log4j guidance.
7. Check whether the product is still supported
If a device or software no longer receives security updates, determine whether the vendor offers another mitigation or whether replacement is needed. The FTC found in a 2018 report that mobile-device update support and deployment varied; delays could involve manufacturers, approval or deployment processes, or users not installing available updates. Those findings establish that support can vary, not the current status of any particular model. FTC report announcement.
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How to tell whether the routine is working
For a household, check the update status on each regularly used device and confirm that automatic updates are enabled where appropriate; investigate any device that reports an update is pending or unsupported. For an IT team, make sure the process can answer these questions:
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- Prioritization: Can staff identify known exploited vulnerabilities and assets exposed to the internet, then route the most urgent work?
- Verification: Is there a record of successful deployment, failed installation, restart requirements, and unresolved exceptions?
- Operational safety: Are testing, maintenance windows, rollback, or isolation considered when changes could affect availability?
- Timeliness: Can a finding reach an accountable owner quickly, with internal goals distinguished from binding or sector-specific requirements?
- Support lifecycle: Does the vendor still provide security updates for each device and software version in use?
NIST’s patch-management guidance frames the work as preventive maintenance: identify, acquire, install, and verify patches. SP 800-40 Rev. 4 provides enterprise guidance; SP 1800-31 offers an implementation-oriented practice guide.
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