What is Patch management?

Keeping software up to date so known vulnerabilities get fixed — the unglamorous habit that prevents most real-world breaches.

How it works

Attackers exploit vulnerabilities that already have patches available. Automating security updates closes the window between a flaw being disclosed and you manually fixing it. On Ubuntu, unattended-upgrades handles it.

Example

In practiceA critical flaw is disclosed; because you auto-install security updates, your system patches it overnight before attackers scan for it.

Auto-update everything or just security?

Security-only is the safe default. Full auto-updates can pull in changes that break running services.

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