Building Patch Tuesday Response Process

Preparation Checklist:
  [ ] Confirm WSUS/SCCM sync schedules are active
  [ ] Verify test environment is available and current
  [ ] Review outstanding patches from previous month
  [ ] Confirm monitoring dashboards are operational
  [ ] Pre-stage communication templates
  [ ] Ensure rollback procedures are documented
  [ ] Verify backup jobs ran successfully on critical servers

Triage Process:
  1. Monitor MSRC Update Guide (https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide)
  2. Review Microsoft Security Blog for advisory summaries
  3. Cross-reference with CISA KEV additions (same day)
  4. Check vendor advisories (Qualys, Rapid7, CrowdStrike analysis)
  5. Identify zero-day and actively exploited vulnerabilities
  6. Classify each CVE by severity and applicability
  7. Determine deployment rings and timeline for each patch
  8. Submit emergency change request for zero-day patches
  9. Communicate triage results to IT Operations and management

# Post-Patch-Tuesday scan workflow
def run_patch_tuesday_scan(scanner_api, target_groups):
    """Trigger vulnerability scans after Patch Tuesday updates."""
    for group in target_groups:
        print(f"[*] Scanning {group['name']}...")
        scan_id = scanner_api.launch_scan(
            target=group["targets"],
            template="patch-tuesday-focused",
            credentials=group["creds"]
        )
        print(f"    Scan launched: {scan_id}")

    # Wait for scan completion, then generate report
    results = scanner_api.get_scan_results(scan_id)
    missing_patches = [r for r in results if r["status"] == "missing"]

    # Categorize by Patch Tuesday release
    current_month = [p for p in missing_patches
                     if p["vendor_advisory_date"] >= patch_tuesday_date]

    return {
        "total_missing": len(missing_patches),
        "current_month": len(current_month),
        "zero_day": [p for p in current_month if p.get("actively_exploited")],
        "critical": [p for p in current_month if p["cvss"] >= 9.0],
    }

Ring 0 - Emergency (0-48 hours):
    Scope:     Zero-day and actively exploited CVEs only
    Method:    Manual or targeted push (SCCM expedite)
    Targets:   Internet-facing servers, critical infrastructure
    Approval:  Emergency change, verbal CISO approval
    Rollback:  Immediate rollback if service degradation

Ring 1 - Pilot (Day 2-7):
    Scope:     All critical and high patches
    Method:    WSUS/SCCM automatic deployment
    Targets:   IT department machines, test group (5-10%)
    Approval:  Standard change with CAB notification
    Monitoring: 48-hour soak period, check for BSOD, app crashes

Ring 2 - Production Servers (Day 7-14):
    Scope:     All security patches
    Method:    SCCM maintenance windows (off-hours)
    Targets:   Production servers by tier
    Approval:  Standard change with CAB approval
    Monitoring: Application health checks, performance baseline

Ring 3 - Workstations (Day 14-21):
    Scope:     All security patches + quality updates
    Method:    Windows Update for Business / Intune
    Targets:   All managed workstations
    Approval:  Pre-approved standard change
    Monitoring: Help desk ticket monitoring for issues

Ring 4 - Stragglers (Day 21-30):
    Scope:     Catch remaining unpatched systems
    Method:    Forced deployment with restart
    Targets:   Systems that missed prior rings
    Approval:  Compliance-driven enforcement

Post-Deployment Validation:
  1. Re-scan environment with updated vulnerability signatures
  2. Compare pre-patch and post-patch scan results
  3. Calculate patch compliance rate per ring and department
  4. Identify failed patches and investigate root causes
  5. Generate compliance report for management review
  6. Update risk register with residual unpatched vulnerabilities
  7. Document exceptions and compensating controls