Viewing patch data for the Vulnerability Response patch orchestration integration with HCL BigFix

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Viewing patch data for the Vulnerability Response patch orchestration integration with HCL BigFix

    This guide explains how ServiceNow customers can view and manage patch data within the Vulnerability Response patch orchestration integration with HCL BigFix. It describes where and how patch data, vulnerability information, and remediation statuses are displayed across various Vulnerability Response Workspaces and the classic environment view. This integration supports effective patch orchestration and remediation management by aggregating patch-related data from multiple sources.

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    Access and Roles

    To view or configure patch data, users must have specific roles:

    • snvulpatchorch.configurepatch: Required to configure and schedule patches.
    • snvulpatchorch.readpatch: Required for read-only access to patch information; inherited by roles such as snvul.remediationowner and snvuln.vulnerabilityanalyst.

    Viewing Patch Data in Vulnerability Response Workspaces

    IT Remediation Workspace:

    • Home view: Access scorecards showing Preferred Solutions on Vulnerable Items (VIs), Vulnerable Configuration Items (CIs), and Preferred Patches.
    • List view: View all Patch Update (VPU) records and assigned vulnerable items (VITs) with available patches.
    • Patch scheduling can be done from Patch Update (VPU), Remediation Task (RT), and Discovered Item (SDI) records.

    Vulnerability Manager Workspace:

    • Home view (Watch Topics): View preferred and potential patches, scheduled patch dates, and patch download status on the Vulnerable Items tab.
    • List view (Remediation Efforts): View patch data on Vulnerable Item records.

    Classic Environment: Navigate to All > Vulnerability Response > Patches to view Patch Update records.

    Patch Update Records and Related Data

    Patch Update (VPU) records consolidate vital patch orchestration information, including:

    • Vulnerability solution data and vendor patch information imported via Vulnerability Solution Management.
    • Source Remediation Status showing devices affected by vulnerabilities and devices missing updates.
    • Remediation Status with percentages of remediated Vulnerable Items and total items with preferred patches.
    • Related links and tabs displaying Associated Devices, Vulnerable Items, Patch Deployments, and Patch Requests.
    • Patch Requests submitted by remediation owners for approval.
    • State rollup data on Vulnerable Item records to summarize active vulnerability counts and avoid redundant rollups.

    Patch Data Rollup and Active Vulnerable Item Counts

    Scheduled jobs update and roll up only changes in active Vulnerable Item counts to key records such as Vulnerable Item Tasks (VIT), Remediation Tasks (RT), Vulnerability Solutions, and Patch Updates, ensuring efficient and accurate status tracking.

    Handling Patches Without Solutions

    Customers can view patches that do not have associated vulnerability solutions through specific functionality described separately, enabling awareness of all patch data regardless of solution linkage.

    Performance Analytics Dashboards Integration

    ServiceNow customers with a subscription to Performance Analytics for Vulnerability Response can access patch orchestration data on the following dashboards:

    • Vulnerability Management (PA) Dashboard: Accessible via All > Vulnerability Response > Overview. The Remediation tab shows patch scheduling status, missing target dates, and weekly patch counts.
    • CISO Dashboard: Accessible via All > Vulnerability Response > CISO Dashboard. The Overview tab displays Patch Coverage data, including criticality, scheduling, and missing patch dates.

    If patch orchestration integration is not installed, the remediation tab appears but contains no data. These dashboards enhance visibility into patch management and remediation effectiveness.

    Patch data and patch rollup data, as well as vulnerability information and remediation status of your vulnerabilities, are displayed on records in your instance.

    Viewing patch data in the Vulnerability Response Workspaces

    Roles required:
    • sn_vul_patch_orch.configure_patch role to configure and schedule patches
    • sn_vul_patch_orch.read_patch to view (read only) patch information on records. This role is inherited with the sn_vul.remediation_owner and sn_vuln.vulnerability_analyst roles that are required for the IT Remediation and Vulnerability Manager Workspaces

    In the IT Remediation Workspace, you can view patches:

    • On the Home view, where you can click scorecards to view records for Preferred solutions on VIs, Vulnerable CIs, and Preferred Patches on VIs.
    • On the List view, where you can view all Patch Update records (VPUs) from the Patches links, and the vulnerable items (VITs) that are assigned to you that have patches.

    You can schedule patches from the following records:

    • From Patch Update (VPU)
    • Remediation task (RT)
    • Discovered Item (SDI) records

    In the Vulnerability Manager Workspace, you can view patches:

    • From the Home view on watch topics, where you can view preferred and potential patches, Patch scheduled dates, and, if the patch has been downloaded all on the Vulnerable Items tab.
    • From the List view on remediation efforts, where you can view patch data on VI records from theVulnerable Items tab.

    From the classic environment view, navigate to All > Vulnerability Response > Patches.

    Patch Update records in the VR Workspaces and in the classic environment view

    Patch data and patch rollup data and status are displayed on records in your instance. Patch records are included as part of the patch orchestration feature of this integration with Vulnerability Response. View Patch (VPU) records in Vulnerability Response Workspaces from the List view in the IT Remediation Workspace. Patch Update records in both the classic view and Vulnerability Response Workspaces includes the following data:

    • Vulnerability solution data and information from patch vendors imported by the Vulnerability Solution Management application.
    • Source Remediation Status that includes the total number of devices that have the a given vulnerability that can be fixed by a patch and any devices that are missing updates.
    • Remediation Status that includes % of VIs remediated and the total VIs that have a patch as a preferred patch.
    • Associated Devices, Vulnerable Items, Patch Deployments and Patch Requests on the Related Links on records in the class view. This data is displayed on tabs on records in the Vulnerability Response Workspaces.
    • Patch Requests that remediation owners have submitted for approval.

    State rollup on vulnerable item records

    For more information about state rollup to records, see Patch data and state rollup for patch orchestration in Vulnerability Response.

    Records that roll up active VI counts

    To avoid rolling up all the patches to all the vulnerabilities, the scheduled job only picks up changes to the active VI count. These count changes and related data are rolled up to the following records in Vulnerability Response:
    • VIT
    • RT
    • Vulnerability solution
    • Patch Update

    Viewing data for patches without solutions

    For more information about viewing patches without solutions, see View patches without solutions in Vulnerability Response.

    Patch data on the Vulnerability Response

    The Vulnerability Management (PA) and CISO dashboards are included with a subscription with the Performance Analytics for the Vulnerability Response application. If you have a subscription for Performance Analytics, but do not have a patch orchestration integration installed, the remediation tab is displayed on the CISO dashboard, but it is not populated with data.

    For the Vulnerability Management (PA) dashboard, navigate to All > Vulnerability Response > Overview. Click the Remediation tab and scroll to the bottom of the page to view Patch Updates data: patches scheduled and not scheduled, patches missing their target dates, and weekly counts.

    For the CISO Dashboard, navigate to All > Vulnerability Response > CISO Dashboard. With the Overview tab selected, scroll to the bottom of the page to view Patch Coverage data: Criticality, patches scheduled and not scheduled, and patches missing their target dates.

    For more information about the Vulnerability Response dashboards, see Using the default Vulnerability Response dashboards, Patch orchestration with the Vulnerability Response Workspaces, and Viewing patch orchestration data on the Vulnerability Response dashboards.