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General discussion

In need of a quick fix

Nov 30, 2003 2:42AM PST

Agencies turn to automated patch-delivery tools to counter fast-moving security threats

Anyone who has ever tried to keep up with software patches knows the struggle can be akin to being trapped in a horror movie ? something like "A Nightmare on Patch Street." Yet, with system security becoming more important in a networked world, managing all of those patches is increasingly a mission-critical function.

If agencies weren't already aggressively applying patches to fix critical security flaws, then the onslaught of computer worms that globally disrupted network operations last summer probably gave them a new sense of urgency.

Last August, the Blaster worm and its Welchia variant underscored the need for better procedures and tools for applying patches as soon as vulnerabilities are exposed.

According to the CERT Coordination Center, a federally funded Internet security research organization operated by Carnegie Mellon University, about 95 percent of network intrusions could be avoided by keeping systems up-to-date with appropriate patches.

http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/1201/cov-patch-12-01-03.asp

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