Skip to content
Linkedin Twitter Facebook Xing

SAP Patch Management

In today’s enterprise application landscape, the importance of constant updates to safeguard critical data is more important than ever. Therefore, SAP Patch Management is a crucial aspect of maintaining the performance and security of SAP applications.   

What is SAP Patch Management

Patch Management for SAP is the systematic process of applying software patches or updating SAP systems. This process ensures the stability and security of SAP systems and is, therefore, an essential part of having a good SAP security posture. Patches include software updates the SAP security team releases to fix bugs, vulnerabilities, and threats. By installing released patches as soon as possible, you avoid malicious actors exploiting those vulnerabilities and threats.    

The benefits of patching your SAP systems

Patching your SAP systems is not only a need, but it is also a best practice that brings in multiple benefits. Constantly updating new patches will make your systems’ processes and operations optimized. Moreover, patching your systems can help you improve your stability. Lastly, using patches in your system ensures security enhancement. With the patches the SAP team releases every second Tuesday of the month, you can ensure your systems are protected against threats and attacks.

Common SAP Patches
  • SAP Cybersecurity, SAP Patch Management, SAP Security Patch Day

The three most common types of SAP Patches

Installing SAP patches is crucial for maintaining a robust and secure enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. SAP, one of the leading ERP systems in the world, is constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of businesses. As a result, SAP releases various patches to address issues and enhance the functionality of its software. However, installing SAP patches can present challenges for IT teams, such as ensuring minimal disruption to business operations, managing risks, and testing the non-implemented patches. This article will discuss the three most common types of SAP patches- kernel patches, snote patches, and support packs - and the best practices for installing them.

Learn more

patch management

How does Patch Management for SAP work?

The following process of establishing SAP patch management will help you mitigate vulnerabilities caused by SAP security bugs:  

  1. Identify the right patches. You need to identify the right patch for your problem, to do this you need to keep up with the latest patches. A way to find the newest patches released every month during SAP Patch Tuesday can be by following our blog where we summarize and dissect all patches every month.  
  2. Analyze the patches. Determine their relevance, usefulness, and how they might benefit your SAP system. Also, review customer and release notes associated with a patch. 
  3. Test the patches in a test environment. Once you have selected the required patches for your system, make sure you test your key processes and workflows.  
  4. Deploy your patches. Plan regular maintenance windows for patches, at least once per month for security patches. Deploy all patches that have passed the testing phase.  
  5. After deployment, keep monitoring and maintaining your systems for any issues that may arise. Always continue to identify new patches that could potentially help you fix new issues that might appear.  

The three most common types of SAP Patches

Installing SAP patches is crucial for maintaining a robust and secure enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. SAP, one of the leading ERP systems in the world, is constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of businesses. As a result, SAP releases various patches to address issues and enhance the functionality of its software. However, installing SAP patches can present challenges for IT teams, such as ensuring minimal disruption to business operations, managing risks, and testing the non-implemented patches. This article will discuss the three most common types of SAP patches- kernel patches, snote patches, and support packs - and the best practices for installing them.

SecurityBridge Releases New One-Click SAP Patch Automation 

SAP security provider SecurityBridge—now operating in the U.S.—today announced the full integration of its SAP Security Platform with the Microsoft Sentinel cloud-native Security Information and Event Manager (SIEM) platform and its membership to MISA. SecurityBridge was nominated to MISA because of the integration of its SAP Controller to the Microsoft Sentinel dashboard. SecurityBridge is a Smart Data Adapter that significantly simplifies security monitoring of critical and highly specific business applications.

The difference between SAP Patch Management and Vulnerability Management

Believe it or not, I've probably attended more customer meetings in 2022 than ever before. And the question about the difference between SAP Patch Management and SAP Vulnerability Management keeps appearing. To give a conclusively answer, we need to take a closer look at the two separate areas.

Questions (FAQ)

How often are SAP patches released?

The SAP team releases patches every second Tuesday of the month, which is affectionately referred to as Patch Tuesday. You can find out more about Patch Tuesday here. 

How should I test SAP patches before deploying them?

Before deploying a patch, you should test it in a demo environment. You need to test a patch for compatibility to avoid any problems that might come from deploying a specific type of patch. 

If a patch causes problems, can I revert it?

If a patch causes you problems sometimes you can revert it. However, this varies depending on the type of patch and the impact it has on the system.  

How to improve Security Patch Management for SAP?

The Patch Management solution built into the SecurityBridge Platform shows all relevant security patches existing for any SAP instance.
Learn more

Latest Resources

How SecurityBridge Supports NIST CSF in SAP Environments

Download the White Paper "Bridging the Gap - How SecurityBridge Supports NIST CSF in SAP Environments". Learn how choosing the right tool can significantly shorten the journey of NIST CSF adoption and improve the security posture of SAP environments.

Learn more

Which cybersecurity framework is the best fit for SAP application security?

Download the White Paper "Which cybersecurity framework is the best fit for SAP application security?" to learn more about the available frameworks, the challenges when adopting a framework, and more.

Learn more

Your Road to SAP Security

Download the White Paper "YOUR ROAD TO SAP SECURITY" to learn about the major milestones towards increasing the cybersecurity posture of your SAP systems.

Learn more

Top mistakes to avoid in SAP security

Within this whitepaper you will learn about the key mistakes that can be avoided when it comes to SAP Security. History has shown that many companies have suffered from cyber incidents, moreover, not all incidents are reported or have been made available to the public.

Learn more

SAP Security Product Comparison Report

Download the SAP Security Product Comparison Report and understand that holistic security for SAP can be delivered by a single solution.

Learn more

How remote working affects your SAP security posture

Remote work is posing new challenges to companies' SAP security posture. In our webinar on May 7th, we showcased a potential attack on an SAP system, using techniques which are common tools among hackers. Using a password spray attack, we first tried to gain access to the system and subsequently extracted the password hashes of all users.

Learn more