John Pescatore

eWeek reports that Microsoft will issue 13 security bulletins next week, covering 26 different Windows vulnerabilities.  If you are, like me, in the Washington DC area, that is about 1 vulnerability for each inch of snow we are supposed to get by Tuesday.

Since I’m a dope, and have refused to buy a snowblower, I have done a total cost of ownership study and found that on average it takes me 10 minutes per inch of snow to shovel my driveway and sidewalks. Then, usually another 20 minutes to reclear the end of the driveway after the plow goes by a day or so later. So, I’m estimating on Sunday it will take me about 4 hours if we get the 24 inches that has been forecast. I work for free on the weekends, so this will cost my budget nothing, but if I used trained professionals to plow, it would be pretty expensive for a year’s contract.

Oh, and this is supposed to be a wet snow, followed by a freeze – probably after all my shoveling there will be a layer of ice left at the bottom. I might have to sprinkle some rock salt on it to deal with that.

How long will pushing out all those Windows patches take, and how much will it cost you (unless you are lucky enough to have people who work for free)? Don’t forget the “re-pushing” for the ones that don’t take – sort of like the reshoveling after the plow goes by. Have you invested in automation (the vulnerability equivalent of a snowblower) to reduce the cost? Oh, there are also a few known vulnerabilities (in the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser and Microsoft’s SMB protocol) that will not be addressed, so down at the bottom there will still be an icy layer…

OK, I’ve flogged this analogy enough – back to listening to the all news station to here about everyone clogging the grocery stores to buy vulnerability assessment, intrusion prevention and patch management milk, bread and toilet paper.

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