EvidenceSheet
ACSC Essential Eight Maturity Model (November 2023) · Patch operating systems

PATCHOS-ISM-1694 Patches, updates or other vendor mitigations for vulnerabilities in operating systems of internet-facing…

Patches, updates or other vendor mitigations for vulnerabilities in operating systems of internet-facing servers and internet-facing network devices are applied within two weeks of release when vulnerabilities are assessed as non-critical by vendors and no working exploits exist. Required at Maturity Levels One, Two and Three of the Patch operating systems mitigation strategy (Appendices A, B and C); ISM control ISM-1694 in ASD's Essential Eight to ISM mapping (December 2023).

Source: ACSC Essential Eight Maturity Model (November 2023), PATCHOS-ISM-1694. The statement above is our statement of the clause, read from the published text and cited so you can check it against the official text, not the instrument verbatim. Open ACSC Essential Eight Maturity Model (November 2023) in the compliance library.

Each row is an ISM control the maturity model requires, with the maturity levels named in its text. Pick your target maturity level and use the rows for it.

2
artefacts
1
held by a system
0
at each review
easy
to go live
Vulnerability scanner / patch tooling
where the evidence lives
teal = a system already holds it · olive = produced at each review. To go live: easy when half or more of the artefacts are already held by a system, moderate from a quarter to a half, hard below a quarter.

These are the artefacts auditors commonly ask for on this requirement, our guidance rather than text from the standard. Your assessor decides what is sufficient in your context, and asks for samples across the period when a report covers one.

system holds itEvidence a system already holds

  • Records of non-critical internet-facing operating system patches applied within two weeks · Vulnerability scanner / patch tooling

periodic reviewEvidence produced at each review

none for this control

governing documentDocuments that govern the control

  • Exceptions with compensating controls for devices awaiting vendor fixes · Policy repository / GRC workspace

First move

Automate the pull from your Vulnerability scanner / patch tooling. Scan schedule, findings and remediation age straight from the scanner; patch compliance from the patch console.

Common gaps auditors find

Do this for your whole sheet

Paste the rows you run your controls from and get this mapping for every control at once, with the periodic-review ones flagged and a first move per row. No account for the first run.

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PATCHOS-ISM-1501 Operating systems that are no longer supported by vendors are replaced · PATCHOS-ISM-1695 Patches, updates or other vendor mitigations for vulnerabilities in operating systems of workstations…