Editing Patch (computing) (section)

=== {{Anchor|SECURITY}}Security patches ===
A ''security patch'' is a change applied to an asset to correct the weakness described by a vulnerability. This corrective action will prevent successful exploitation and remove or mitigate a threat's capability to exploit a specific vulnerability in an asset. Patch management is a part of [[vulnerability management]]{{snd}} the cyclical practice of identifying, classifying, remediating, and mitigating vulnerabilities.

Security patches are the primary method of fixing security vulnerabilities in software. Currently Microsoft releases its security patches once a month ("[[patch Tuesday]]"), and other operating systems and software projects have security teams dedicated to releasing the most reliable software patches as soon after a vulnerability announcement as possible. Security patches are closely tied to [[responsible disclosure]].

These security patches are critical to ensure that business process does not get affected. In 2017, companies were struck by a ransomware called [[WannaCry ransomware attack|WannaCry]] which encrypts files in certain versions of [[Microsoft Windows]] and demands a ransom via BitCoin. In response to this, Microsoft released a patch which stops the ransomware from running.