What is OT Patch Management?
OT patch management is the process of identifying, sourcing, testing, deploying, and documenting software updates (patches) to operational technology (OT) and industrial control systems (ICS).
Key Goals of OT Patch Management Are To:
- Close security vulnerabilities: Patches fix weaknesses that could be exploited by attackers.
- Improve system functionality: Updates often resolve bugs or add performance enhancements.
- Meet regulatory compliance: Many industries have standards for patching critical systems (e.g., NERC CIP for power utilities).
OT Patching Challenges
Patching seems deceptively simple, but in reality, it poses enormous challenges for OT environments. So much so, it’s often the most time-consuming and burdensome task for industries like power utilities when it comes to regulatory compliance.
Why is OT patch management so difficult? Here’s a breakdown of the key factors:
Visibility Gaps
Automatic inventory and monitoring of OT systems are often impossible with traditional tools. This means not knowing exactly what needs patching.
Patch Overload
Tracking and sourcing patches for a wide range of specialized systems and applications becomes a logistical nightmare. Tracking patches for multiple versions of PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) from different vendors, each with its own update cycle, or dealing with legacy systems that haven't received updates in years and whose original manufacturers may no longer exist creates a situation where security teams constantly chase a moving target, trying to reconcile disparate patch sources and versions.
Specialized Expertise
Reviewing, approving, and deploying patches often requires deep OT knowledge to avoid unintended consequences. A general IT Patch administrator might not understand specific systems like PLCs, DCS (Distributed Control Systems), or Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) software. Thus, leading to learning curves when it comes to constant uptime in certain industries.
Testing Constraints
Meticulous patch testing is essential to prevent disruptions to critical systems, but dedicated test environments may not exist.
Deployment Hurdles
Patches must be carefully deployed to diverse devices, often on individual schedules.
Compliance Overhead
Documenting every change and ensuring adherence to regulations adds another layer of complexity. Beyond NERC CIP standards, OT environments might also need to comply with regulations like GDPR if they process personal data or industry-specific standards such as ISA/IEC 62443, which focuses on security for industrial automation and control systems.
In manufacturing spaces, ISO 27001 can add detailed audit trails, version control, and rigorous change management are essential and add significant administrative burdens to the OT security team.
Downtime Restrictions
Critical infrastructure, such as power plants or water treatment facilities, often operate 24/7. Scheduling downtime for patching is incredibly challenging. Even a brief interruption can have significant consequences, requiring meticulous planning and coordination with operational teams. For example, patching a system that controls a pipeline during peak demand hours is simply not feasible.
These challenges make traditional IT patch management methods fall short in OT environments. To address this, we’ve created a six-step, end-to-end patching process. Verve by Rockwell and Rockwell Managed Services give you the tools and expertise to overcome these obstacles. This integrated solution can simplify the process, saving time, increasing accuracy, and helping systems remain effectively monitored and compliant.
OT Patch Management: Our 6-Step Workflow
We’ve developed a streamlined, six-step patch management workflow to conquer OT complexity. Verve by Rockwell software and Rockwell Managed Services(remote or on-site) can significantly reduce the time and effort required. This integrated approach simplifies patching, enhances quality, and can help keep you compliance-ready.
Step 1: Establish OT Asset Inventory Baseline
A robust OT asset inventory is the foundation of effective patch management. We help you identify your assets, locations, and installed software. Many organizations struggle with this, especially for non-Windows systems that are common in OT environments.
Verve by Rockwell can deliver 100% visibility with a combination of agent-based tools and our unique Agentless Device Interface (ADI). This comprehensive approach works even in challenging OT environments.\. Our cost-effective, software-based solution can even eliminate the need for additional hardware.
By building a complete and accurate OT asset inventory, you directly identify every potential entry point and reduce the attack surface. This granular visibility helps your organization effectively prioritize and address risks and practice proactive vulnerability management.
Step 2: Identify Vulnerabilities and Patches
Unpatched vulnerabilities leave OT systems susceptible to cyberattacks that can have devastating consequences.
Our solution reduces these risks by delivering continuous vulnerability scanning tailored for OT environments and offering a curated list of updates with known compensating controls. This enables your organization to proactively manage vulnerabilities, prioritize updates, and maintain operational continuity.
Step 3: Match Patches to the Right Assets
A major challenge in patching is figuring out which assets need which specific updates. It’s easy to collect a list of available patches but matching them to the correct devices in your OT network can be a time-consuming nightmare.
We solve this with automatic filtering. You tell us which assets are in scope for a particular patch, and it sorts them accordingly. This sorting can be based on any device characteristic: operating system, NERC CIP criticality, or any other attribute that matters to you.
This powerful filtering saves enormous amounts of time, letting you quickly determine which patches apply to which systems. Precise patch-to-asset matching also helps your organization’s critical systems receive the necessary updates promptly, reduce the vulnerability window, and lower the risk of exploitation.
Step 4: Review, Approve, and Manage Patches
Traditional patch management often involves multiple tools and disjointed processes. Verve by Rockwell streamlines this by integrating approvals and actions directly within the VSC.
Users create baselines within VSC for approved and unapproved patches, and these baselines can even reflect specific vendor approvals. Dashboards automatically filter to show only approved patches, which can eliminate the need to manually track which updates are ready for deployment. You can create as many baselines as needed for flexible patch organization. Centralized patch approval and management with us creates a controlled and auditable process that reduces the risk of deploying unauthorized or improper patches, helping you streamline compliance efforts and improve your overall security posture.
Step 5: Test and Deploy Patches
Thorough patch testing is crucial but often difficult in OT settings due to time constraints. Verve by Rockwell helps you confirm that your patches are authentic and vendor-approved.
We allow you to programmatically deploy patches across supported devices (Windows/Unix/Linux) directly from the console. For initial testing, schedule deployment to just a few low-risk assets. If issues arise, the update is automatically rolled back. You can schedule wider rollouts at your convenience. This also helps provide your organization with a critical safety net.
Additional controls include rebooting options, on-device messages, and retry configurations. [Note: Automatic deployment is recommended in controlled circumstances only.]
For devices where automatic patching isn’t possible, our experienced engineers provide on-site patch deployment. Their extensive OT equipment knowledge and testing experience allows for a smooth rollout process. Many clients find it beneficial to have us handle the deployment of approved patches, freeing up their staff for core operational tasks.
Our controlled deployment and rollback procedures reduce downtime, lessen disruptions, and help prevent prolonged system instability.
Step 6: Documentation and Compliance
Documenting system changes before and after patching is a tedious but essential compliance task. Verve by Rockwell automates this process, saving you time and improving accuracy.
For agent-based systems, any changes are instantly flagged. Our Agentless Device Interface does the same for the majority of your OT network, even devices like relays and PLCs that are difficult to monitor. Easily run a baseline report after updates to confirm that everything is patched correctly.
Our solution provides a clear audit trail of patch deployments and system changes to simplify reporting and provide that security measures are properly documented and auditable.
Finally, our services team helps you gather and integrate these baseline changes directly into your regulatory workflows and cybersecurity reporting. This can eliminate manual data entry and can help keep you compliance ready.
Simplify OT/ICS Patch Management: Verve by Rockwell Automation
OT patch management may seem simple at first glance, but the unique complexities of these environments make it a daunting task. Without the right tools, patching becomes labor-intensive, error-prone, and a major security risk. This jeopardizes both system reliability and regulatory compliance.
That’s why we have developed a comprehensive end-to-end patch management solution. Our innovative technology and expert services streamline every step of the process. From identifying vulnerabilities to deploying and documenting patches, we can eliminate manual work and improve accuracy.
The result? Reduced patching time, improved cybersecurity, and effortless compliance. Our flexible, scalable solution adapts to your specific OT environment, regardless of size or complexity.
