The Essential Eight (E8) is a cybersecurity baseline developed by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) to help organisations protect themselves against a wide range of cyber threats. Introduced in 2017 and continually updated, the Essential Eight is designed to be practical, adaptable, and prioritised based on risk and threat relevance.
Unlike some frameworks that require wholesale adoption, the E8 is structured to allow organisations to implement controls in stages and mature them over time. It consists of eight key mitigation strategies that, when implemented together, significantly improve an organisation’s resilience against common attacks like ransomware, phishing, and privilege escalation.
The eight strategies are:
Application Control – Restrict execution of unapproved software, including executables, scripts, and installers, to prevent malware and unauthorised code.
Patch Applications – Ensure applications (including Flash, web browsers, and Microsoft Office) are up to date with the latest security patches.
Configure Microsoft Office Macro Settings – Block macros from the internet and only allow vetted, approved macros to run.
User Application Hardening – Disable unnecessary features in applications such as Flash, ads, and Java in web browsers to reduce exploitable entry points.
Restrict Administrative Privileges – Only grant administrative access to users who need it and limit what can be done with that access.
Patch Operating Systems – Regularly update operating systems with the latest security patches, ideally within 48 hours of release.
Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) – Enforce MFA for all remote access and sensitive accounts to mitigate stolen credential risk.
Regular Backups – Back up critical data, systems, and configurations regularly, and test the restoration process.
These strategies are mapped to maturity levels from 0 (not implemented) to 3 (fully aligned with ACSC’s recommendations), allowing organisations to benchmark their progress and address gaps incrementally.
The Essential Eight is relevant for a broad range of organisations, but particularly those that manage sensitive data, operate critical infrastructure, or are subject to regulatory oversight. This includes:
Government agencies: Federal, state, and local government bodies are expected to align with the E8 as a minimum cybersecurity standard.
SMEs and enterprises: Private sector organisations seeking to uplift their cyber maturity without adopting overly complex frameworks.
CISOs and IT leaders: Those responsible for securing organisational systems and meeting compliance or assurance requirements.
Managed Service Providers (MSPs): Supporting clients in building secure environments and demonstrating a baseline level of security control.
The E8 provides a common language and structure for organisations to discuss, assess, and improve their security posture, making it an ideal starting point or augmentation to broader frameworks like ISO 27001, NIST CSF, or ASD’s Information Security Manual (ISM).
Implementing and maintaining compliance with the Essential Eight can be complex, particularly for smaller teams or organisations without in-house cyber expertise. MyCISO offers tailored support and supplementary resources to simplify and accelerate adoption:
Stay informed with up-to-date notifications on emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and patching requirements that directly relate to the Essential Eight controls. These alerts are prioritised and mapped to the E8 strategies to support responsive action.
End-user awareness is a critical success factor in frameworks like the E8. MyCISO’s Security Culture module includes training content that helps staff understand phishing risks, password hygiene, macro threats, and how to spot suspicious activity — directly supporting strategies like MFA, macro control, and application hardening.
MyCISO provides pre-built templates for policies and procedures related to each of the eight controls. These can be quickly tailored to suit your organisation’s environment and used as part of audits or internal reviews.
The MyCISO platform includes guided assessments aligned to the Essential Eight, helping users identify their current maturity level, document improvement plans, and track implementation progress over time. Interactive dashboards make it easy to demonstrate improvements to leadership or external stakeholders.
Organisations that implement the Essential Eight — particularly at Maturity Level 2 or higher — gain numerous tangible and strategic advantages:
Ransomware resilience: Controls like backups, MFA, and application whitelisting drastically reduce the likelihood and impact of ransomware attacks.
Cost-effective risk reduction: The E8 focuses on practical measures that deliver a high return on investment compared to more complex compliance-heavy frameworks.
Regulatory alignment: Many Australian regulatory and funding bodies expect a baseline level of cybersecurity hygiene, with the E8 often used as a minimum requirement.
Operational confidence: With improved patch management, user controls, and visibility, IT teams can manage their environments with greater confidence and fewer surprises.
Executive assurance: Using maturity levels and visual dashboards, leaders can clearly see progress and risk exposure, supporting informed decision-making and budget planning.
Perhaps most importantly, the Essential Eight is designed to be achievable. It acknowledges that perfect security isn’t possible, but that meaningful risk reduction is — through consistent, evidence-based controls.
The Essential Eight Framework is a powerful, accessible tool for any organisation looking to bolster its cyber resilience in a methodical and scalable way. By focusing on eight foundational security strategies — from patching and macros to backups and MFA — the E8 helps prevent, detect, and recover from the most common types of cyber attacks.
Whether you’re a government agency aligning with policy mandates or a private business seeking cost-effective protection, the E8 offers a clear, proven path forward. And with platforms like MyCISO, organisations don’t have to walk that path alone. With advisory services, policy tools, training, and maturity tracking, MyCISO enables faster, easier adoption of the Essential Eight and supports continual improvement over time.
Cyber threats are inevitable — but with the Essential Eight, your organisation can be resilient, ready, and protected.
