Essential Eight

Direct link: cyber.gov.au/resources-business-and-government/essential-cyber-security/essential-eight
Responsible agency: Australian Signals Directorate
Last updated: 27 November 2023

The Australian Signals Directorate has developed a number of Strategies to Mitigate Cyber Security Incidents, to help organisations protect themselves against various cyber threats. The most effective of these mitigation strategies are known as the Essential Eight. While no set of mitigation strategies are guaranteed to protect against all cyber threats, organisations are recommended to implement these eight essential mitigation strategies as a baseline:

patch applications
patch operating systems
multi-factor authentication
restrict administrative privileges
application control
restrict Microsoft Office macros
user application hardening
regular backups.

The cyber.gov.au website hosts further information and resources on the Essential Eight.

Capabilities

This design is part of the following capability.

CAP10

Information Asset Security

Policies

This design can be relevant to meeting the requirements of the following policies.

POL39

Information Asset Security Policy

Standards

This design can be useful in achieving the intent of the following standard(s).

Information Security Manual (ISM)

STA8

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) produces the Information Security Manual (ISM). The purpose of the ISM is to outline a cyber security framework that an organisation can apply, using their risk management framework, to protect their systems and data from cyber threats. The ISM is…

Information Asset Security Standard

STA52

The Australian Government ensures the safety and security of its operations to remain a trusted custodian of sensitive information. It will continue to maintain the safe, secure operation of government systems and technology through the effective implementation of the Information Security Manual,…