The Essential Eight is a set of mitigation strategies from the Australian Signals Directorate. It is best used as a coordinated baseline: weaknesses in one area can undermine strong controls elsewhere.
The eight strategies
The model covers application control, patching applications, configuring Microsoft Office macros, user application hardening, restricting administrative privileges, patching operating systems, multi-factor authentication and regular backups.
Choose a target maturity level
The maturity model is risk-based. Establish the current state honestly, select a target suited to your threat exposure, and improve the strategies together rather than claiming maturity from a few isolated products.
A sensible first sequence
For many smaller organisations, the first work is to inventory systems and accounts, turn on MFA, remove unnecessary administrators, patch exposed systems, strengthen backups and test recovery. Application control and hardening then need careful planning so business-critical software remains usable.
- Know your devices, applications, accounts and data
- Prioritise internet-facing and high-value systems
- Use named accounts and least privilege
- Monitor whether updates and backups actually succeed
- Test controls with evidence, not assumptions
Healthcare needs additional context
Clinical software compatibility, medical devices, privacy obligations and operating hours can affect implementation. Plan testing and maintenance windows with patient-care continuity in mind; security should not be used as a reason to make unsupported changes to clinical systems.
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General information only. It is not legal, privacy or compliance advice; requirements should be assessed for your organisation.