Free Vulnerability and Patch Management Policy Template (Word)

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish how [Organization Name] obtains information about technical vulnerabilities in the information systems it uses, evaluates its exposure to them, and takes measures to address the resulting risk. It addresses ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A control 8.8 (Management of technical vulnerabilities) and operates alongside the organization's configuration management (Annex A 8.9) and change management (Annex A 8.32) practices.

2. Scope and Asset Coverage

This policy applies to every asset recorded in [Asset Inventory / CMDB] that falls within the boundary set by [ISMS Scope Statement]: servers, workstations, [Mobile Device Fleet], operating systems, hypervisors, container images, network and security appliances, firmware, databases, in-house code, third-party and open-source dependencies, and [Cloud Provider] services that [Organization Name] is responsible for patching. Each in-scope asset has a named owner in the inventory (Annex A 5.9); assets patched by suppliers are governed through [Supplier Security Requirements].

3. Roles and Responsibilities

[Role/Title, e.g., Information Security Manager] owns this policy and operates the vulnerability management process. [Role/Title, e.g., IT Operations Manager] deploys patches to infrastructure and endpoints within the timeframes in Section 6. [Role/Title, e.g., Engineering Lead] remediates vulnerabilities in application code and third-party dependencies. Asset owners approve maintenance windows, supply the business context used in Section 5, and request any exception under Section 9.

4. Vulnerability Identification and Information Sources

[Organization Name] draws vulnerability information from several sources: authenticated scans of [Internal Network Ranges] and [External / Internet-Facing Assets] run at least [Scan Frequency]; dependency and container image scanning in [CI/CD Pipeline]; vendor security advisories for the products in use; public CVE feeds such as [CVE / NVD Feed] and [National CERT Source]; penetration tests performed [Penetration Test Frequency]; and reports received at [Vulnerability Disclosure Contact]. This monitoring is coordinated with the organization's threat intelligence activity (Annex A 5.7), and every finding is logged in [Vulnerability Tracking System].

5. Severity Rating and Risk Assessment

Each finding receives a severity rating derived from [Severity Scale, e.g., CVSS base score] and adjusted by [Role/Title] to reflect actual risk, taking account of asset criticality and data classification, network exposure, evidence of a public exploit or active exploitation, and mitigating controls already in place. The resulting rating — Critical, High, Medium, or Low, or the equivalent labels used in [Severity Scale] — sets the remediation timeframe and is recorded with its justification in [Vulnerability Tracking System].

6. Remediation Timeframes by Severity

Remediation time runs from the date a finding is confirmed as applicable to an in-scope asset. [Organization Name] remediates Critical findings within [Critical Remediation Window], High findings within [High Remediation Window], Medium findings within [Medium Remediation Window], and Low findings within [Low Remediation Window] or at the next scheduled maintenance cycle. Assets listed in [Critical Systems List] and internet-facing assets follow [Accelerated Remediation Schedule]. Remediation may be a vendor patch, a version upgrade, removal of the affected component, or a configuration change that eliminates the exposure.

7. Patch Testing, Deployment, and Verification

Patches are tested in [Test / Staging Environment] and approved through [Change Management Policy] before installation on operational systems (Annex A 8.19). After deployment, [Role/Title] verifies that the patch applied by confirming version or build numbers in [Patch Management Tool] and re-scanning the affected assets. A finding is closed in [Vulnerability Tracking System] only on that evidence; a deployment report alone is not sufficient. Patches that fail or are rolled back are re-scheduled.

8. Emergency and Out-of-Band Patching

Where a vulnerability is under active exploitation, is rated Critical on an internet-facing asset, or is subject to a directive from [Regulator / National CERT / Customer], [Role/Title] may authorize out-of-band patching outside the normal maintenance window and with abbreviated testing. The authorization, the reason, and the systems affected are recorded at the time. Emergency changes receive retrospective review under [Change Management Policy] within [Retrospective Review Period], and the verification requirements in Section 7 still apply.

9. Exceptions, Reporting, Enforcement, and Review

Where a finding cannot be remediated within its timeframe, the asset owner must obtain a written exception from [Role/Title] before the deadline. The request states the reason, the residual risk, the compensating controls applied (for example network segmentation, restricted administrative access, virtual patching at [WAF / IPS], or additional monitoring), and an expiry date no later than [Maximum Exception Period]. Exceptions are recorded in [Risk Register] and renewed only by re-approval.

[Role/Title] reports to [Management Forum] at least [Reporting Frequency] on open findings by severity, remediation completed inside and outside the applicable windows, scan and verification coverage across [Asset Inventory / CMDB], and all open exceptions.

Failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary action under [HR / Sanctions Policy]. This policy is reviewed at least [Review Frequency, e.g., annually] and after significant changes to the organization's systems, threat environment, or applicable requirements. Version History: [Version] | [Date] | [Author] | [Summary of Changes] | [Approved By].