# Patch Management

The process of systematically identifying, testing, and installing software updates that fix vulnerabilities.

**Patch management[↗](/patch-management)** is the systematic process of identifying, testing, and installing software updates, patches, that fix known vulnerabilities across an organization's devices and applications, rather than leaving updates to chance or individual users.

Unpatched software is one of the most common ways attackers gain initial access, since exploiting a known, published vulnerability[↗](/vulnerability) is far easier than finding a new one. A well-run patch management program prioritizes critical fixes and rolls them out quickly and consistently.