Application whitelisting
Control which software can run, so unauthorised programs can’t.
Advisory
ASD Essential Eight
Reach Maturity Level 3 across the ACSC's eight prioritised mitigation strategies.
Maturity Level 3, tracked and proven.
The Essential Eight is the Australian Signals Directorate's baseline for defending against targeted cyber attacks. We assess where you stand now, build a prioritised roadmap, and deploy controls to reach Maturity Level 1 to 3. The goal isn't a compliance tick-box. It's real resilience against the threats the Essential Eight was written to stop.
What is the ASD Essential Eight?
The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) publishes the Strategies to Mitigate Cyber Security Incidents. It is a ranked list of steps. They help organisations protect their systems from many kinds of attacker.
The most important of these strategies are known as the Essential Eight.
The eight strategies.
Patching applications
Patch apps to fix known flaws.
Configure macros
Set Microsoft Office macro settings to block untrusted macros.
Application hardening
Harden apps to protect against risky features.
Restrict admin privileges
Limit admin rights, so fewer people have powerful access to systems.
Patch operating systems
Patch the operating system to fix known flaws.
Multi-factor authentication
Use more than one proof of identity to stop unauthorised access.
Daily backup
Back up data every day, so key data is always there.
Three maturity levels for each strategy.
To help you measure how well you apply the Essential Eight, the ACSC set three maturity levels for each strategy.
As a baseline, aim for Maturity Level Three on every strategy. Vectra has the skills and people to help you get there.
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01
Maturity Level One
Partly aligned with the intent of the strategy.
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02
Maturity Level Two
Mostly aligned with the intent of the strategy.
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03
Maturity Level Three
Fully aligned with the intent of the strategy.
Some organisations need more than Maturity Level Three.
Some are targeted again and again by skilled attackers, or work in a higher-risk setting. Where the ACSC decides an organisation needs to go beyond Maturity Level Three, it gives that organisation its own tailored advice.
What's included in the engagement.
Current-state assessment
We check alignment against Maturity Levels 0 to 3, across all eight mitigation strategies.
Remediation roadmap
A prioritised, sequenced plan to close gaps, with effort estimates for your business, not a generic task list.
Control deployment
We roll out application control, patching, macro restriction, MFA, backups and all eight mitigations.
Evidence pack
We collect evidence continuously and report to board, auditors and regulators.
Maturity verification
An independent check on maturity claims - useful for regulated firms and supply-chain reviews.
Essential Eight uplift
We manage progress from ML1 to ML3 over several years: measured, reported and audit-ready.
Start with a conversation.
Speak to us about your cyber governance and compliance requirements.
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