Essential Eight Assessment

Essential 8 Cyber Security Assessment

The Essential 8 is a set of recommended cyber security mitigation strategies developed by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) which is part of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD). It is designed to help organizations protect their systems and data from cyber threats by implementing eight key security controls. These controls are not mandatory but are highly recommended to mitigate common attacks and significantly reduce the risk of cyber incidents, such as ransomware, malware, and unauthorized access.

The Essential 8 focuses on practical, cost-effective strategies that organizations can implement at various levels of maturity, ranging from Maturity Level 1 to advanced security measures at Maturity Level 3. The strategies are:

1. Application Control – Ensures only trusted applications are allowed to run on systems.

2. Patch Applications – Regularly apply security patches to fix vulnerabilities in software.

3. Configure Microsoft Office Macro Settings – Limit the use of macros to reduce the risk of malicious code execution.

4. User Application Hardening – Strengthen user-facing applications like web browsers and email clients to reduce attack surfaces.

5. Restrict Administrative Privileges – Limit access to administrative accounts to minimize potential damage from compromised accounts.

6. Patch Operating Systems – Ensure operating systems are up-to-date with security patches.

7. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – Implement MFA to add an extra layer of protection for user authentication.

8. Regular Backups – Perform regular backups of critical data to ensure recovery in the event of a cyber attack.

Although implementing the Essential Eight Strategies may not guarantee against potential cyber attacks, it does significantly reduce the attack surface, the risk of compromise, and your resilience or ability to successfully recover from an attack.

The Essential 8 framework is also scalable and adaptable, meaning businesses of different sizes and industries can implement it at varying levels of maturity based on their specific security needs.

Refer to this link for the full Essential 8 Maturity Model - Essential Eight Maturity Model | Cyber.gov.au

Objective 1: Prevent Cyber Attacks

• Patch application vulnerabilities

• Application control

• User application hardening

• Configuring MS Office Macro settings

Objective 2: Limit the Impact of Cyber Attacks

• Patch operating system vulnerabilities

• Restrict Admin access

• Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

• Daily Backups

Objective 3: Data Recovery & System Availability

The Essential Eight assessment was a significant exercise in understanding our cybersecurity posture and compliance.

CIO, State Government

Our compliance is very important and thanks to the work the team performed on our Essential Eight maturity uplift, our visibility greatly improved.

CISO, Top Four Bank

★★★★★

★★★★★