Essential Eight Compliance Consultation Services

Overcome your security challenges with implementing the right cyber security technical controls that make sense for your risk management level

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Your business’ success depends on how well you protect your customers, employees, and customers’ data from cyberattacks and the loss of valuable information. Our business is to protect your business’s data, devices and systems. To achieve this, we rely on the latest technologies, our experienced cyber security consultants and Zero Trust solutions.

What is Essential Eight?

Australian Cyber Security Centre – ACSC’s – Essential 8 risk management framework is a prioritised list of eight mitigation strategies that can be implemented by organisations to address cyber security concerns. These strategies provide protection for an organisation’s information security system from various threats found in the digital landscape and ensure that the customer’s data is protected.

These strategies have two primary objectives: to ensure critical information systems are secure, as well as safeguarding organisation reputations and preserving valuable resources. By evaluating your cyber security, we will identify and understand the risks, vulnerabilities, and blind spots of your organisation and help create and implement a risk-based cybersecurity internal audit plan.

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Essential Eight Maturity Level Self-Assessment Tool

To achieve compliance for all security controls, you must constantly be aware of your position in the Essential Eight maturity scale.
Where does your organisation stand in the Essential Eight maturity scale? Submit the form and take our Essential Eight Self-Assessment to determine your organisation’s Essential Eight Maturity level

• Easy self-assessment
• Determine your business maturity level
• Report sent to your e-mail

By clicking Submit, you agree to allow AWD to use your personal information for the purposes outlined in the privacy policy.
View AWD Privacy Policy. After submitting this form, a verification link will be sent to your e-mail address. To access the assessment, open your email and click on the verification link.

*Disclaimer: The purpose of this assessment is to understand your organisation’s overall cybersecurity posture and should not replace professional advice in any way. This assessment is based on reliable sources such as ACSC, however, AWD is not responsible for any errors, oversights or outcomes resulting from its use.

Application Whitelisting

Application whitelisting allows only applications that have been reviewed and approved by an IT administrator. This strategy strives to prevent ransomware, malware or any cyber threat from being distributed through unsecure applications.

Patch Applications

Applications may contain security vulnerabilities that allow malicious software to execute. Flash, web browsers, Microsoft Office, Java and PDF viewers. Patch/mitigate computers with ‘extreme risk’ vulnerabilities within 48 hours. Use the latest version of applications.

Configure Microsoft Office

Configure Microsoft Office macro settings to block macros from the internet and only allow vetted macros either in ‘trusted locations’ with limited write access or digitally signed with a trusted certificate. Microsoft Office applications can execute macros to automate routine tasks. However, macros can contain malicious code resulting in unauthorised access to sensitive information as part of a targeted cyber attack.

User Application Hardening

Flash, ads and Java are popular ways to deliver and execute malicious code on systems. Configure web browsers to block Flash (ideally uninstall it), ads and Java on the internet. Disable unneeded features in Microsoft Office (e.g. OLE), web browsers and PDF viewers.

Restrict Administrative Privileges

Restrict administrative privileges to operating systems and applications based on user duties. Regularly revalidate the need for privileges. Don’t use privileged accounts for reading e-mail and web browsing. Restricting administrative privileges is one of the most effective mitigation strategies in ensuring the security of systems since attackers use these administration accounts to gain full access to information and systems.

Patch Operating Systems

Security vulnerabilities in operating systems can be used to further the compromise of systems. Patch/mitigate computers (including network devices) with ‘extreme risk’ vulnerabilities within 48 hours. Use the latest operating system version. Don’t use unsupported versions.

Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-factor authentication including for VPNs, RDP, SSH and other remove access, and for all users when they perform a privileged action or access an extremely sensitive data repository. When implemented correctly, multi-factor authentication can make it significantly more difficult for an adversary to steal legitimate credentials to facilitate further malicious activities on a network.

Regular Backups

Regular backups of important new/changed data, software, and configuration settings, stored disconnected, retained for at least three months. Test restoration initially, annually, and when IT infrastructure changes.

Backups are critical for ensuring information can be accessed following a cyber security incident (e.g. a ransomware attack).

Essential Eight Maturity Model

We, at AWD, assist organisations in determining the maturity of their implementation of the Essential Eight. Four maturity levels have been defined for each mitigation strategy. The strategies measure the organisation’s cybersecurity across these four maturity levels defined as:

  • Maturity Level 0: Indicates that an organisation is lacking critical security elements, or is not actively making efforts to defend itself from attacks
  • Maturity Level 1: Indicates that the organisation’s cybersecurity posture should be able to defeat the most common attacks, generally able to defeat low effort attacks. This maturity level is suitable for most Australian organisations that do not have significant data security or financial protection requirements.
  • Maturity Level 2: Indicates that your organisation’s cybersecurity position should be able to deal with attackers who invest more time in targeted attacks and use more effective tools. This maturity level might be the best solution for mid-size organisations with one or more critical systems.
  • Maturity Level 3: Indicates that your organisation can manage more adaptive cyber attackers that are less dependent on public tools and techniques and spend more time and effort to overcome the target’s implemented security controls.

Essential Eight Maturity Level Self-Assessment Tool

To achieve compliance for all security controls, you must constantly be aware of your position in the Essential Eight maturity scale.

Where does your organisation stand in the Essential Eight maturity scale? Take our Essential Eight Self-Assessment Tool to determine your organisation’s Essential Eight Maturity level

  • Easy self-assessment
  • Determine maturity level
  • Report sent to your e-mail
Start Assessment

As an Essential 8 security consultants, we help Australian businesses in evaluating their current maturity level against each strategy in the Essential 8 and provide them with a clear report of the gaps and a roadmap to plugging those gaps and becoming Essential Eight compliant.

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Start Assessment

By clicking Submit, you agree to allow AWD to use your personal information for the purposes outlined in the privacy policy.
View AWD Privacy Policy. After submitting this form, a verification link will be sent to your e-mail address. To access the assessment, open your email and click on the verification link.

*Disclaimer: The purpose of this assessment is to understand your organisation’s overall cybersecurity posture and should not replace professional advice in any way. This assessment is based on reliable sources such as ACSC, however, AWD is not responsible for any errors, oversights or outcomes resulting from its use.

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