How the Essential 8 Protects Your Organisation: A Practical Guide to Mitigating Cyber Risks

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The Essential 8, developed by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), provides a baseline of mitigation strategies to defend against cyber threats. Many organisations are obliged to implement the Essential 8 to a specific maturity level.

The Essential 8 comprises eight key mitigation strategies designed to protect against various threats.

While risks change all the time, this table can provide a high level overview of the risks addressed by the Essential 8.

Application Control

Patching Applications

Office Macro Settings

User Application Hardening

Restricting Administrative Privileges

Patching Operating Systems

Multi-Factor Authentication

Daily Backups

Malware and ransomware attacks

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Unauthorised software installation

Yes

Yes

Yes

Exploitation of software vulnerabilities

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Insider threats

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Phishing attacks

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Data breaches

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

System instability and crashes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Data loss

Yes

Yes

Credential stuffing

Yes

Yes

Where the Essential 8 are not legislated, adopting a risk-based approach allows organisations to tailor their cyber security efforts to their unique risk profile. By prioritising the most critical threats and efficiently allocating resources, organisations can enhance their overall security posture and better protect their assets and data. In an ever-changing cyber landscape, a risk-based approach provides the flexibility and adaptability needed to stay ahead of emerging threats.

proactive strategy

To implement a risk-based approach to the Essential 8, organisations should:

  1. Conduct a risk assessment: Identify and assess the risks and vulnerabilities specific to your organisation. This assessment should consider factors such as the value of assets, potential threats, and the likelihood and impact of cyber incidents.
  2. Prioritise mitigation strategies: Based on the risk assessment, prioritise the implementation of the Essential 8 strategies. Focus on addressing the most critical risks first, while also considering the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of each strategy. It can be helpful to identify ‘quick wins’ at this stage.
  3. Develop a risk management plan: Create a comprehensive risk management plan that outlines the steps and resources required to implement the prioritised mitigation strategies. This plan should include timelines, responsibilities, and metrics for measuring success.
  4. Monitor and review: Continuously monitor the efficacy of the implemented strategies and review the risk assessment regularly. Adjust the risk management plan as needed to address new threats and vulnerabilities.

Kat McCrabb

Kat McCrabb

18 Dec 2024

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