ABSTRACT
Patching is a common term in today’s computer systems. A patch is a change to the software on a computer to repair a bug in the software, remediate a vulnerability identified in the software, or improve minor aspects in the software. Most patches are installed in the background, without impacting normal operations, and once completely installed may require restarting the computer. The restart completes the installation by modifying software or files running while the computer is operating. Some software has the capability to modify or patch the software without requiring a restart. Regardless, the patches or modified software should resolve problems on the computer system. The important security patches resolve vulnerabilities which protect the information on the computer. Other important patches improve current functionality or add additional capabilities. As software becomes more complex and interrelated to other software on the system, more vulnerabilities are identified. The increased complexity created vulnerabilities that place the computer at risk from unscrupulous individuals or organizations. When the computer is used on a network, the vulnerabilities may provide a potential to attack vector. The attack vector creates the potential to attack the computer, extract information on the computer, load undesirable or malicious software, or use the compromised computer as a pivot point to identify and attack other computers on the network.
