What are the Essential 8 Guidelines?
Application control
This guide aims to prevent the execution of unapproved or malicious software by creating a whitelist of approved applications and blocking anything that is not on the list.
Patch applications
This guide aims to ensure that all the software you use is up to date with the latest security patches to reduce vulnerabilities and prevent exploits.
Configure Microsoft Office macro settings
This guide aims to prevent malicious macros from running in Microsoft Office documents by disabling macros from untrusted sources, or requiring explicit user approval.
User application hardening
This guide aims to reduce the attack surface of applications by disabling unnecessary features and functions, and by configuring security settings to their highest level.
Restrict administrative privileges
This guide aims to reduce the risk of privilege escalation by limiting the number of users who have administrator rights, and by implementing least privilege practices.
Patch operating systems
This guide aims to ensure that all the operating systems you use are up to date with the latest security patches to reduce vulnerabilities and prevent exploits.
Multi-factor authentication
This guide aims to strengthen the authentication process by requiring more than one form of authentication, such as a password and a security token, to access sensitive systems and data.
Regular backups
This guide aims to ensure that important data is regularly backed up, to provide a fallback option in case of data loss or corruption, and to enable recovery from a cyber attack.