A Checklist for Developing Defenses

Step	Description
Obtain a source for vulnerability and patch information.	This may be accomplished by gathering freely available public information, or more optimally, subscribing to a commercial intelligence service.
Develop a mechanism to prioritize vulnerabilities.	This should be combined with a parallel capability incorporating (1) asset discovery, (2) vulnerability discovery, and/or (3) patch discovery.
Develop a deployment policy.	Develop a policy around the scheduling of both expected and unexpected security patches.
Procure deployment technologies.	Deploy the appropriate technology to facilitate the actual patch installation across your enterprise.

Recommended Reading

• https ://www.first.org/cvss/

• http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/tools/mbsahome.mspx

• http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/updateservices/evaluation/overview.mspx