How can you quickly perform compliance reporting for VMs lacking critical OS security updates?

The option of extracting the patch status dashboard every six months is a practical approach for compliance reporting on virtual machines that may be missing critical operating system security updates. This method allows teams to systematically review the patch status of all VMs within a specified timeframe, ensuring that they have an overview of the compliance posture related to security updates.

The patch status dashboard in Google Cloud provides insights into the current state of updates across all managed instances. By pulling this data at regular intervals, teams can effectively track which VMs are up-to-date and which ones require attention, making it easier to prioritize remediation efforts.

In contrast to manual checking, which can be time-consuming and prone to human error, or relying on third-party tools that may introduce complexity and additional overhead, utilizing the built-in dashboard streamlines the reporting process. Additionally, extracting reports biannually is often sufficient for many organizations to maintain compliance while ensuring they are addressing critical updates promptly.

Disabling update policies, while it may seem to provide a temporary workaround, ultimately undermines the security posture of the VMs and is not a sustainable or compliant approach.