Understanding the Essential Eight is one thing; implementing it is another. For Australian small businesses, applying cyber security strategies can feel like a tall order without an actionable checklist. Here is an essential checklist to keep your SME safe.
The 8-Point Essential Eight Checklist
- Application Control: Ensure that only approved, trusted applications can run on your workstations and servers. Have you blocked standard users from executing unknown programs?
- Patch Applications: Do you update third-party apps (like browsers, PDF viewers, and Microsoft Office) within 48 hours of a critical security patch release?
- Microsoft Office Macros: Have you disabled Macros downloaded from the internet? Attackers frequently use malicious Macros embedded in Office files to deliver ransomware.
- User Application Hardening: Have you configured browsers to block Flash, Java, and unwanted web ads, protecting your employees from drive-by downloads?
- Restrict Admin Privileges: Do you strictly limit who has local and domain administrator rights? Everyday work should never be done using an administrator account.
- Patch Operating Systems: Similar to applications, are you applying the latest security updates to Windows, macOS, or Linux devices promptly?
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Is MFA enabled for all users accessing external portals, remote desktop access, and webmail? This is the single most effective defense against credential theft.
- Regular Backups: Do you perform daily backups of important data? More importantly, are those backups isolated from the primary network to protect them from ransomware?
Taking the Guesswork Out of Compliance
Checking off these items manually takes time and deep technical knowledge. Want to know exactly where you stand against this checklist today? Head over to our Essential Eight Assessment Dashboard, conduct a self-assessment, and uncover the most pressing gaps in your cyber security strategy.