The Forgotten Foundation of Cybersecurity: Structured Patch Management

In an era where cyber threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, it turns out that the most successful attacks still exploit known vulnerabilities that haven’t been patched in time. At Cybersec Europe, York von Eichel-Streiber from NinjaOne will address this challenge in his keynote on vulnerability management.

Research from Mandiant shows that 38 percent of all cyber breaches are the result of exploited vulnerabilities—significantly more than phishing (17 percent) and stolen login credentials (15 percent).

“The pace of innovation on both the attackers’ and defenders’ sides has accelerated due to AI developments,” explains York von Eichel-Streiber. “This has led to a flood of new attack types and solutions to prevent them. But what remains relevant is the need for timely cyber hygiene to patch known vulnerabilities.”

Timeframe

York von Eichel-Streiber is Product Marketing Manager EMEA at NinjaOne and has been involved in numerous IT implementations. As such, he is very familiar with the challenges of managing decentralized IT.

A concerning trend he highlights is the decreasing window between the discovery of a vulnerability and the first attacks exploiting it. “The time between discovery and exploit has dramatically decreased in recent years. Rapid implementation of critical patches is essential but must be integrated into a well-structured patch and vulnerability management policy.”

No Silos

During his presentation titled “Why Vulnerability Management Must Be at the Core of Your Cybersecurity Strategy”, von Eichel-Streiber will discuss automated patch implementation, risk-based prioritization, and improved visibility and reporting. He emphasizes that vulnerability management should not operate in isolation: “Vulnerability and patch management should not be silos. They must be part of a comprehensive endpoint management strategy.”

Cybersecurity is an ongoing process that never reaches a final stage of completion, von Eichel-Streiber asserts. “It is essential to continuously maintain the foundations of IT management and security. The stronger these foundations, the better an organization is prepared to effectively leverage the latest advanced technologies.” He also stresses the importance of simplicity: “Complexity is the enemy of security. Simplifying IT management with intuitive, user-friendly technologies leads to higher adoption within IT teams and strengthens security.”

The keynote by York von Eichel-Streiber will take place on Day 2 (22 May) on the Main Stage of Cybersec Europe, which is being held on 21–22 May in Brussels.

Interested in cybersecurity insights? Attend one of the (free) Cybersec events!

Cybersec Europe returns on 21 and 22 May in Brussels, offering a platform to connect with experts, discover the latest cybersecurity innovations, and gain valuable insights. This year, we welcome leading keynote speakers such as Mario Beccia, Max Schrems, and Anouk van Brug. Registration is free and now open: Cybersec Europe Registration.
Later this year, Cybersec Netherlands will take place on 10 and 11 September in Utrecht. Registration opens in April, but you can sign up now to stay informed: Stay Up to Date.