Australian businesses face growing cyber security threats that can severely disrupt operations. With cyber-attacks becoming more sophisticated, it’s crucial to implement strong defensive measures.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) developed the Essential 8 risk mitigation controls to help businesses protect their systems from these threats.
While the Essential 8 provides a solid foundation, building on this framework with additional security measures and solutions will help businesses strengthen their defences further.
Tip 1: Conduct Regular Security Audits
Regular IT security audits are critical in identifying vulnerabilities and weaknesses within your systems. These audits assess your infrastructure’s overall health and ensure compliance with industry standards.
Conducting IT security audits helps to identify outdated software, unpatched systems, and potential gaps in security controls. By staying proactive, businesses can address vulnerabilities before they’re exploited.
Schedule routine audits and risk assessments to review your systems and ensure your organisation remains secure and compliant. This includes evaluating your patch management process to ensure it aligns with the latest security standards.
Tip 2: Strengthen Application Controls
The first Essential 8 control is application whitelisting. To build on this, businesses should customise their application control policies to block any non-essential software. This means preventing unauthorised applications, which could potentially introduce malware or compromise the network.
Uncontrolled applications pose a significant risk, as attackers often exploit them to gain access to and compromise systems. Restricting applications to only those necessary for business operations helps minimise the attack surface.
Implement stricter application control measures by default blocking all applications and only allowing essential, vetted programs. Regularly review and update the list of approved applications to ensure they align with current business needs and security best practices.
Tip 3: Improve Patch Management Policies
Effective patch management is crucial for protecting your business from known vulnerabilities. By frequently updating both applications and operating systems, you reduce the risk of attacks that exploit outdated software. However, it’s not just about applying patches—it’s about applying the right patches at the right time.
Unpatched software is a leading cause of data breaches and cyber incidents. Regular patching helps to protect sensitive information and systems against the latest threats, while patch testing minimises disruptions.
Automate your patch management process to ensure updates are applied promptly. Prioritise patches for critical systems and perform thorough testing before deployment to avoid any unintended issues. Implement a regular review cycle to ensure patches are always current.
Tip 4: User Application Hardening
User applications like web browsers, email clients, and office productivity tools, are often entry points for cyber threats. Strengthening or “hardening” these applications reduces the likelihood of attacks using malware, phishing, or exploit kits.
Applications that interact frequently with the web are prime targets for cybercriminals. Hardening user applications helps mitigate vulnerabilities that can be exploited through malicious websites, emails, or attachments.
Configure web browsers to block unnecessary plug-ins, ads, and untrusted websites. Disable macros in Microsoft Office applications by default, and enforce strong security policies on frequently used software like PDF readers. Regularly review these configurations to ensure they are updated to address new cyber risks.
Tip 5: Restrict Admin Privileges
Minimising administrative privileges is one of the most effective ways to prevent cyber incidents. Attackers often seek to compromise accounts with high-level access to spread malware, steal data, or disrupt operations.
Admin accounts have access to critical systems and sensitive data, so restricting these privileges reduces the potential damage from a successful attack.
Regularly review who has administrative access within your organisation and revoke unnecessary privileges. Implement the principle of least privilege, ensuring that users only have access to the systems and data required for their roles.
Tip 6: Implement Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an essential layer of protection by requiring users to provide multiple credentials before accessing a system. Relying solely on passwords leaves systems vulnerable to phishing, brute-force attacks, and credential theft – but MFA significantly reduces these risks.
MFA ensures that even if a password is compromised, attackers are less likely to gain access to sensitive systems and data. This is especially important for accounts with privileged access or that handle critical business information.
Roll out MFA across all critical systems, including cloud services, email platforms, and VPNs. MFA should be mandatory for administrative accounts and remote access. Regularly review authentication processes to ensure compliance and security effectiveness.
Tip 7: Conduct Regular, Secure Backups
While regular backups are part of the ACSC Essential 8, it’s vital to ensure that your backup strategy is secure, automated, and resilient to attacks such as ransomware. Backups provide a crucial safety net in the event of data loss or ransomware attacks. However, unsecured backups can themselves become a target, leading to significant downtime or permanent data loss.
This means backing up your data frequently, as well as encrypting it and storing it in multiple locations, including offsite or cloud storage.
Automate your backup processes and encrypt all backup data. Regularly test your ability to restore from backups, and ensure they are stored in secure, geographically diverse locations. Limit access to backups and enforce strict policies to prevent unauthorised modifications or deletions.
Tip 8: Implement Advanced Threat Detection
Traditional security measures alone are generally not enough to stop advanced threats like zero-day exploits or ransomware.
Building on basic security controls, advanced threat detection through Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) systems enables continuous monitoring of network activity to detect and respond to sophisticated cyber threats. This proactive approach helps identify potential attacks before they can cause damage.
Implement EDR solutions to continuously monitor your network and endpoints for suspicious behaviour. Set up 24/7 monitoring and establish a clear incident response plan to act quickly when threats are detected. Regularly update detection rules and threat intelligence feeds to stay ahead of new attack vectors.
Tip 9: Conduct Regular Security Awareness Training
While technology is the biggest component of cyber security, human error is a leading cause of breaches. Regular security awareness training helps your team recognise phishing attempts, understand secure data handling, and avoid risky online behaviour. Continuous training ensures that security practices are ingrained in everyday activities.
Implement a comprehensive security awareness program that includes regular phishing simulations, tutorials on recognising threats, and guidance on following internal security protocols. Update the training regularly to reflect the latest threats and best practices.
Strengthen Your Cyber Security Posture with Expert Support
While the ACSC Essential 8 framework provides a strong foundation for improving your organisation’s cyber security, stronger, advanced security measures and solutions are imperative to increase these defences.
The cyber security experts at National IT Solutions can align your security measures with the ACSC Essential 8 controls. We will also implement additional measures to further protect your business against all manners of cyber threats – both internal and external.
