In our digital landscape, threats evolve rapidly, and a proactive stance in cybersecurity is paramount. Zirilio, recognizing the importance of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, sheds light on the top four best practices for cyber business preparedness. As part of this initiative, Zirilio emphasises the "Essential Eight" from the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) to safeguard organisations from multifaceted cyber threats.
1. Embrace the Essential Eight from ACSC
Zirilio underscores the significance of the Essential Eight mitigation strategies. These tactics are not just individual recommendations but a holistic approach to comprehensive threat mitigation. The idea is to ensure organisations develop a consistent maturity level across all eight before progressing to advanced stages.
The Essential Eight includes:
- Application whitelisting
- Patching applications
- Configuring Microsoft Office macro settings
- User application hardening
- Restricting administrative privileges
- Patching operating systems
- Multi-factor authentication
- Daily backups
2. Maintain Consistency in Mitigation Strategy Maturity
For businesses to effectively ward off cyber threats, Zirilio advocates for a consistent implementation of all eight mitigation strategies. This holistic approach ensures no vulnerabilities are left unaddressed. Organisations should aim for an even maturity level across the Essential Eight before aiming for higher sophistication levels.
3. Dive into Cyber Penetration Testing
For small businesses new to the realm, Zirilio offers some hot tips:
- Start Small: Begin with vulnerability assessments to identify potential weak points.
- Engage Professionals: Consider hiring a third-party service specialising in penetration testing to simulate cyberattacks.
- Regular Testing: Cyber landscapes change; regular tests ensure your defences evolve accordingly.
- Feedback Loop: Use the results to refine and bolster your cybersecurity strategies.
4. Adopt a Proactive Stance
The best defence is often a good offence. By staying updated with the latest threat intelligence and regularly assessing your organisation's vulnerabilities, you can be one step ahead of potential cyber adversaries.
Our practice continues to steer businesses in understanding their cyber risk. As practitioners in cyber security, it is our core focus to enable a future where businesses, big or small, are well-equipped against the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats.
This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, let's commit to enhancing our cyber defences, leveraging tried-and-tested strategies, and ensuring a secure digital tomorrow.
About Zirilio
ZIRILIO is an end-to-end security solutions organisation. They provide the most sophisticated, personalised cyber security solutions in the market backed by world leading experts and Gartner technology vendors. They are known as some of the quickest responders in the industry.
