Vulnerability Discussion

Security flaws with operating systems are discovered daily. Vendors are constantly updating and patching their products to address newly discovered security vulnerabilities. Organizations (including any contractor to the organization) are required to promptly install security-relevant software updates (e.g., patches, service packs, and hot fixes). Flaws discovered during security assessments, continuous monitoring, incident response activities, or information system error handling must also be addressed expeditiously.

Check

Review the operating system documentation and configuration to determine if the operating system checks with a patch management system to install security-relevant software updates within a timeframe directed by an authoritative source.

If the operating system does not install security-relevant patches within the time period directed by the authoritative source, this is a finding.

Fix

Configure the operating system to use a patch management system to ensure security-relevant updates are installed within the time period directed by the authoritative source.