"Hi, my name is Michael, and I'm a Cyber Security Consultant here at AC3.

With the security landscape constantly changing, I wanted to talk about the ACSC's Essential Eight maturity model.

The Essential Eight maturity model has been designed to protect Microsoft Windows-based internet connect networks by implementing eight mitigation strategies.

The mitigation strategies are application control, patch applications, configure Microsoft Office macro settings, user application hardening, restrict administrative privileges, patch operating systems, multi-factor authentication, and regular backups.

Organisations should target one of the three defined maturity levels suitable for their environment and ensure they achieve the same maturity level across all eight strategies before moving on to a higher level.

If you would like guidance on which maturity level is right for your organisation or how effective your mitigation strategies are, please reach out to the team. We'd love to help."

AC3's Essential Eight Security Control Assessment can benchmark your current strategies against the ACSC's Essential Eight maturity models. Find out more here.