For many IT experts, the second Tuesday of every month signifies a busy day or the start of a busy few days. However, should that be the case? Patch Tuesday, as it’s known, is when many big technology vendors release software updates that address the security defects that have been discovered in the previous weeks.

Microsoft rolled out the February 2021 Patch Tuesday update on the 9th of February 2021. With this batch of updates, the focus is on improving the general functionality of the OS and fixing the current bugs. The February updates are all about enhancing the security of most apps and Windows components.

Besides death and taxes, there seems to be one more thing we can rely on as certain—software vulnerabilities.

Ask any IT or Infosec professional if they think patch management is important, and you’ll get an annoyed “of course.” But while the majority of organizations understand the importance of patching, implementation of patch management can be lackluster. With so many operating systems, expanding infrastructure, hybrid cloud environments, hundreds of applications, and thousands of assets, it can be difficult to maintain an effective strategy for what should be routine security hygiene. Every organization wants to minimize their risk profile, and an effective, efficient, and—above all—routine set of best practices is the first step.

"The day when Microsoft releases updates for their software to improve security."

What is...Patch Tuesday

CVE and CVSS are some of the most commonly misunderstood features of patching. In this article, we will explore the differences and showcase how they can affect your patching technique. Although many IT managers are familiar with these terms CVE and CVSS, some IT professionals still don’t understand the difference between them. CVE and CVSS are synonymous with software vulnerabilities, patching and operating systems. 

“Patch Tuesday” is a term widely used between IT and security teams to describe the time when Microsoft releases the latest updates. The ones who participate in it know the true cost of the patching cycle, whether it’s getting the approval, designing the plan, or dealing with the outcome.

In September 2019, a vulnerability has been discovered in EXIM, an open-source mail transfer agent,
which is a program responsible for receiving, routing and delivering email messages.