Essential 8 Security Incident Mitigation Framework

Reactive security solutions and process are no longer enough to protect organisations in the modern world of ever-increasing information technology advancements. To minimise the chances of being compromised, organisations of all sizes must implement proactive security frameworks to secure their environment and avoid costly breaches.

The Essential Eight is one such framework which is a set of security controls developed by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) to help organisations protect themselves against various cyber threats.

The Essential Eight controls are:

Application control: Only allowing approved software to run on systems.
Patching applications: Keeping software up to date with the latest security patches.
Patching operating systems: Keeping the underlying operating system up to date with the latest security patches.
User application hardening: Controlling web browser processing and security, and phasing out use of legacy Internet Explorer browsers.
Microsoft Office macro settings: Disabling macros from untrusted sources.
Restricting administrator privileges: Limiting the number of users who have administrative access to systems.
Multi-factor authentication: Requiring more than one form of authentication to access systems.
Regularly backing up data: Regularly creating copies of important data, to enable recovery in case of a security incident, and restricting access to backup data.

By implementing these controls according to the criteria of each Essential Eight Maturity Level, organisations can significantly reduce the risk of cyber threats and protect their networks and systems from attacks. The Essential Eight controls are not a one-time solution, but rather an ongoing effort to keep systems and networks secure. Therefore, it is important to regularly review and update the controls to ensure they are aligned with the changing business requirements and remain effective in protecting against the latest cyber threats.

It is also recommended for organisations to consider additional controls beyond the Essential Eight, especially if they store highly sensitive data, such as implementing Network Segmentation, using encrypted communications and using security software such as firewalls and intrusion prevention systems.

The Essential Eight controls are designed to be cost-effective and easy to implement, making them accessible to organizations of all sizes and resources. By adopting these controls, organizations can better protect themselves from cyber threats and improve their overall cyber security posture.