Patch Management Policy
Version 1.3
For Students, Faculty, Staff, Guests, Alumni
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to enforce patch requirements for University-owned or managed IT Resources.
Scope
This IT policy, and all policies referenced herein, shall apply to all members of the University community, including faculty, students, administrative officials, staff, alumni, authorized guests, delegates, and independent contractors (the “User(s)” or “you”) who use, access, or otherwise employ, locally or remotely, the University’s IT Resources, whether individually controlled, shared, stand-alone, or networked.
Policy Statement
- All IT Resources must be part of a patch management cycle.
- Owners and managers are responsible for the assessment of IT Resources under their management or supervision.
- All patches or configuration changes must be deployed to University-owned or managed IT Resources when a vulnerability is determined per the Vulnerability Management Policy.
Definitions
IT Resources include computing, networking, communications, application, and telecommunications systems, infrastructure, hardware, software, data, databases, personnel, procedures, physical facilities, cloud-based vendors, Software as a Service (SaaS) vendors, and any related materials and services.
A patch is a software update comprised of code inserted (i.e., patched) into the code of an executable program. Typically, a patch is installed into an existing software program. Patches are often temporary fixes between full releases of a software package. Patches include, but are not limited to the following:
- Updating software
- Fixing a software bug
- Installing new drivers
- Addressing new security vulnerabilities
- Addressing software stability issues
Patch management cycle is a part of lifecycle management and is the process of using a strategy and plan of what patches should be applied to which systems at a specified time.
Related Policies and Procedures
Implementation Information
| Review Frequency: | Triennial |
|---|---|
| Responsible Person: | Senior Director, IT Security Operations and Assurance |
| Approved By: | CISO |
| Approval Date: | March 1, 2017 |
Revision History
| Version | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 01/23/2017 | Initial policy |
| 1.1 | 01/29/2019 | Updated policy statement |
| 1.2 | 05/10/2020 | Updated purpose and policy statements |
| 1.3 | 08/02/2023 | Updated definitions |
Policy Disclaimer Statement
Deviations from policies, procedures, or guidelines published and approved by Information Security and Assurance (ISA) may only be done cooperatively between ISA and the requesting entity with sufficient time to allow for appropriate risk analysis, documentation, and possible presentation to authorized University representatives. Failure to adhere to ISA written policies may be met with University sanctions.