Apply operating system patch in Nebula

In Nebula, the Patch Management module allows you to apply an operating system patch by using the Windows API. Security fixes are available through operating system patches, so it is important to keep your devices up to date.

Reboots may be required by Microsoft to complete the installation of operating system patches, so it is recommended to apply patches to your endpoints during nonoperating hours.

There are four different methods to apply and view available operating system patches:

• Scheduled patches
• Available patches tab
• Patch Management page
• Endpoints page

Scheduled patches

Create a schedule that regularly installs operating system patches to ensure your devices stay updated. This schedule applies all Windows operating system patches found at the time the schedule is run. To create a schedule:

1. On the left navigation menu, go to Configure > Schedules.
2. In the top right, click New.
3. Enter a schedule name and choose OS Patches for Type. 
4. Optionally, filter which operating system patches install based on category and severity.
5. Configure endpoint reboot settings with the options in the table below. 
6. Optionally, customize a deployment message and select the duration before the operating system patch automatically installs.
7. On the Schedule groups tab, select target groups for the schedule.
8. On the Schedule frequency tab, set the frequency, start date, and start time. 
9. Toggle on Run missed scans as soon as possible to allow the schedule to run if the endpoint was offline during the configured schedule time.
   Note: To avoid unexpected updates after a powered-off endpoint comes online, toggle this setting off. 
10. Click Save.

Patch categories are defined using Windows standardized terminology for operating system services. For more information, see Microsoft software updates.

Reboot settings

Note: A user can continue to postpone a reboot indefinitely unless the reboot delay time is reached. Subsequent popups will wait for 1 minute for additional postponement otherwise the endpoint will reboot. If a user postpones a reboot, the Events screen shows an Audit event.

Available patches tab

Navigate to the Available patches tab to view the available operating system patches of a specific endpoint. To locate the Available patches tab:

1. On the left navigation menu, go to Manage > Endpoints.
2. Click an endpoint name to view the endpoint's properties.
3. Click Patches, then click Available patches.

To apply a system patch:

1. Select all or check specific boxes for system patches you want to install.
2. In the top right corner, click Apply patch.
3. In the confirmation window, click Patch.

To update software, see Update software with Patch Management in Nebula.

Patch Management page

Navigate to the Patch Management page to view and install available operating system patches across your environment. 

1. On the left navigation menu, go to Monitor > Patch Management.
2. Select all or check specific boxes for system patches you want to install.
3. In the top right corner, click Apply patch.
4. In the confirmation window, click Patch.

Patch information

View the following information for each available patch:

• KB ID: Knowledge base ID of the patch.
• Description: Short description of the patch.
• Category: Type of patch.
• Endpoint: Host name of the endpoint.
• Identified date: Date the patch was detected on the endpoint.
• Size: Size of the patch.
• Restart required: Requirement of a restart to complete installation of the patch.
• Vendor: Vendor of the patch.
• Patch: Name of the patch.
• Severity: Severity level of the patch.

Endpoints page

On the Endpoints page, add a new column to see how many available patches there are for each endpoint. The following column is available:

• Available patches: Shows the number of available OS patches and 3rd-party software updates. Click the value to go to the Patch Management page filtered by the selected endpoint.

Return to Malwarebytes Patch Management guide.