Patching
Applying updates to fix vulnerabilities, bugs, or add features.
Patching closes known vulnerabilities and is the single highest-leverage operational control, since most breaches exploit flaws that already had a fix. Prioritize by severity and active exploitation: critical/high and KEV-listed CVEs within days, ideally tested in staging first. Patch SLAs, maintenance windows, and documented exceptions (for systems that can’t be patched) keep the program auditable.
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