Summary
This document is a guide that outlines the Essential Eight, a set of foundational security controls recommended by the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) to prevent and respond to network compromises. It describes the eight mitigation strategies, which include patching applications, patching operating systems, applying multi-factor authentication, restricting administrative privileges, implementing application control, restricting Microsoft Office macros, hardening user applications, and backing up data. The guide emphasizes the importance of these strategies for both government and non-government entities in Australia to mitigate cyber threats. Additionally, it introduces the Essential Eight Maturity Model (E8MM), which helps organizations target specific levels of control maturity. The document also discusses how Okta's technologies can support the implementation of these strategies, particularly focusing on achieving Maturity Level 3. It highlights the necessity of strong multifactor authentication and least privilege access in the current threat environment, aiming to reduce the risk of identity-based attacks.
