ACSC Essential 8 Maturity Model
The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), recommends eight strategies to protect against malware, reduce the impact of cyberattacks and increase recovery.
WeSecureCyber helps organisations with their Essential 8 maturity journey by providing continuous visibility solutions that provide real-time insight to allow for the uplift of Essential 8 controls and ongoing monitoring.
Overview : Essential 8
Although no one set of mitigation strategies can protect against all cyber threats perfectly, it is recommended that organisations implement eight key mitigation strategies from ACSC’s Strategies to Mitigate Cyber Security Incidents as an initial step. The Essential Eight makes it harder for adversaries and hackers to compromise systems.
Methodology on Essential 8
Application control
Executables, software libraries and scripts cannot be executed on workstations that are not part of standard user profiles or temporary folders used for the operating system, email clients, and web browsers.
Patch applications
Updates and patches for security flaws in internet-facing services can be applied within two weeks or 48 hours, if there is an exploit.
configure Microsoft Office macro settings
Users who do not have a business need for Microsoft Office macros will be unable to use them.
User application hardening
Java is not processed by web browsers from the internet. Web browsers don't process web advertisements via the internet.
Restrict administrative privileges
When requested, requests for privileged access to applications and systems are validated.
Operating systems for patching
Within one month of publication, patches, updates, or vendor mitigations are applied for security vulnerabilities in the operating systems of workstations and servers.
Multi-factor authentication
If users authenticate to the organisation's web-facing services, multi-factor authentication will be used.
Regular backups
In accordance with business continuity requirements, backups of data, software and configuration settings must be performed in a coordinated and resilient fashion.
What is the purpose of it?.
- It is more economical to implement the Essential Eight proactively than to respond to large-scale cyber security incidents.
- Ensure that customers and vendors are protected.
- Reduce the risk of fraud, data loss, or disclosure
- Assuring strong compliance and excellent risk management
- Facilitation of independent inspection of data security practices
- It establishes standards that can be universally accepted.
- Be prepared to respond to evolving security threats
FAQs on Essential 8
What is essential 8?
The Essential Eight is an assortment of mitigation strategies that are taken from Strategies to Mitigate Cyber Security Incidents. It’s recommended for organizations. These strategies are a minimal requirement to make it more difficult for adversaries and compromise systems.
What are essential 8 strategies ?
These mitigation strategies are the Essential Eight: Application control, patch apps, configure Microsoft Office macros settings, user app hardening and restrict administrative privileges. Patch operating systems. Multi-factor authentication. Regular backups.
How important is the essential 8?
To assess and quantify your cyber security risks, the Essential 8 gives you a quantifiable benchmark against which to measure your business. It also makes sure that you comply with ASD security advice.
Which is better ISO 27001 or NIST?
This results in a significant variation in the degree of risk maturity that each framework aims to address. For businesses that are just starting to create a risk management strategy, NIST is thought to be the best option. For operationally developed organizations, ISO 27001 is preferable.
Is Essential 8 mandatory?
Essential 8 is a set of eight security measures that the Australian government has identified as essential for organizations to protect their systems from cyber threats. The Essential 8 is not mandatory, but it is strongly recommended by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC).
Who does essential 8 apply to?
Essential 8 is a set of eight mitigation strategies developed by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) to help protect organizations from cyber threats. It is designed to be used by all organizations, regardless of size or sector, as a baseline for their cyber security posture. The Essential 8 consists of:
1. Application whitelisting – only allowing approved applications to run on systems
2 . Patching applications – ensuring all applications are up to date
3. Patching operating systems – ensuring all operating systems are up to date
4. Configuring Microsoft Office macro settings – disabling macros from untrusted sources
5. User application hardening – restricting user access to applications and data
6. Restricting administrative privileges – limiting the number of users with administrator rights
7. Multi -factor authentication – requiring more than one form of authentication to access systems
8. Daily backups – creating regular backups of data and systems