Okuzeka
Cybersecurity vocabulary · Vulnerabilities and Patching

Patch

Meaning in cybersecurity, with examples

/pætʃ/nounCore term

In cybersecurity, patch means: A small update released by a vendor to fix a bug or close a security vulnerability in software, firmware or an operating system.

In Turkish: yama, güvenlik yaması

How it is used

Also a verb: you patch a server or patch a vulnerability. Teams apply, test and roll out patches, often in a monthly cycle such as Microsoft's Patch Tuesday. 'Unpatched' systems are one of the most common audit findings.

Example sentences

  1. The vendor released an emergency patch for the VPN appliance yesterday.

  2. We patched the domain controllers over the weekend.

Common collocations

  • apply a patch
  • security patch
  • emergency patch
  • roll out patches
  • unpatched system
  • vulnerabilityA weakness in software, hardware, a configuration or a process that an attacker could use to cause harm or to gain access they should not have.
  • patch managementThe ongoing process of finding, testing, approving and installing software updates across all systems, and tracking which ones are still missing.
  • zero-dayA vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no patch yet, so defenders have had 'zero days' to fix it when it is first exploited.
  • remediationThe work of fixing a security problem at its source, such as applying a patch, changing a configuration or rewriting vulnerable code.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Vulnerabilities and Patching

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: