Why Patching Matters
Most breaches exploit known vulnerabilities, often months or years old. WannaCry (2017) succeeded because thousands of systems weren’t patched despite updates being available. Even today, unpatched Apache, Exim, or kernel flaws are exploited within days of disclosure.
Manual patching doesn’t scale. Clients need automation.
Ansible Patch Management Checklist
- Inventory Hosts
Define Linux servers in/etc/ansible/hosts. - Playbook for Updates
---- hosts: linux_serversbecome: yestasks:- name: Update all packages (Debian/Ubuntu)apt:upgrade: distupdate_cache: yes- name: Update all packages (RHEL/CentOS)yum:name: '*'state: latest - Scheduling
Use Ansible Tower/AWX to run nightly or weekly patch jobs. - Staging & Rollback
Test playbooks in staging VMs before production rollout. Pair with snapshots for rollback.
Applied Example: CIS Benchmark Alignment
Automated updates can be documented as part of compliance with CIS Control 7: Continuous Vulnerability Management. Running playbooks nightly closes the window of exposure between CVE disclosure and patch application.
Why Clients Care
- Reduced Breach Risk: Eliminates “low-hanging fruit” attacks.
- Operational Efficiency: Replaces manual patching with repeatable automation.
- Audit Proof: Provides evidence of structured patching processes.
Security gaps in Linux and cloud systems risk downtime, data compromise, lost business — and compliance failures.
With 20+ years’ experience and active UK Security Check (SC) clearance, I harden Linux and cloud platforms for government, corporate, and academic sectors — ensuring secure, compliant, and resilient infrastructure.