The following bullets summarize the article.

• The Essential Eight is a set of cybersecurity controls developed by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) to provide a baseline for organizations to protect against cyber threats.
• Security awareness and human risk are critical aspects of cybersecurity that can help organizations strengthen their security posture.
• User education involves providing training and education to users about cybersecurity threats and best practices to reduce the risk of human error and human risk.
• Phishing attacks are a common threat to organizations, and multi-factor authentication can help prevent unauthorized access to systems and reduce the risk of phishing attacks.
• SaaS has become increasingly popular in recent years, but it also poses security risks, and organizations need to ensure that their SaaS applications are secure and properly configured and maintained.
• The Essential Eight controls include application whitelisting, patching applications and operating systems, restricting administrative privileges, multi-factor authentication, backing up data, network segmentation, and user education.
• Human risk can include unintentional actions, such as clicking on a phishing email or sharing sensitive information, as well as intentional actions, such as insider threats. To mitigate human risk, organizations should implement security controls that limit the impact of human error and human risk.

Cybersecurity threats are becoming more sophisticated and frequent, making it essential for organizations to have effective security controls in place. There are various types of security controls, including administrative, physical, and technical controls. In this article, we will discuss the essential eight security controls that every organization should implement. We will also focus on security awareness, human risk, SaaS, and phishing, four critical aspects of cybersecurity that can help organizations strengthen their security posture.

The Essential Eight Security Controls

The Essential Eight is a set of cybersecurity controls developed by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) to provide a baseline for organizations to protect against cyber threats. The Essential Eight consists of eight controls that can help organizations prevent and mitigate cyber incidents. These controls are:

1. Application Whitelisting. Application whitelisting is a security measure that allows only authorized applications to run on systems. This control helps organizations prevent malware and other unauthorized software from running on their systems.
2. Patching Applications. Patching applications involves applying updates and patches to software to address vulnerabilities and security issues. This control helps organizations prevent attackers from exploiting known vulnerabilities in their software.
3. Patching Operating Systems. Patching operating systems involves applying updates and patches to the operating system to address vulnerabilities and security issues. This control helps organizations prevent attackers from exploiting known vulnerabilities in their operating systems.
4. Restricting Administrative Privileges. Restricting administrative privileges involves limiting the number of users who have administrative privileges on systems. This control helps organizations prevent unauthorized access to systems and reduce the risk of insider threats.
5. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Multi-factor authentication involves using two or more authentication factors to verify a user's identity. This control helps organizations prevent unauthorized access to systems and reduce the risk of phishing attacks.
6. Backing Up Data. Backing up data involves creating copies of data to protect against data loss due to cyber incidents, natural disasters, or other events. This control helps organizations recover from cyber incidents and prevent data loss.
7. Network Segmentation. Network segmentation involves dividing networks into smaller, isolated segments to limit the spread of cyber incidents. This control helps organizations prevent attackers from moving laterally through their networks and limit the impact of cyber incidents.
8. User Education. User education involves providing training and education to users about cybersecurity threats and best practices. This control helps organizations improve security awareness and reduce the risk of human error and human risk.

Trends Impacting the Essential Eight Security Controls

Below are several current trends that need to be considered in the context of security controls.

Security Awareness

Security awareness training is a critical aspect of cybersecurity, and it refers to the knowledge and understanding that individuals and organizations have about security threats and best practices. Security awareness is essential because it helps individuals and organizations identify potential security risks and take appropriate actions to prevent them.

Organizations can promote security awareness by providing continuous training and education to their employees. This training can include topics such as password management, phishing attacks, social engineering, and other security threats. By educating employees about security risks and best practices, organizations can empower them to identify and prevent security incidents before they happen.

Human Risk

Human risk refers to the risk that employees or other individuals pose to an organization's cybersecurity posture. Human risk can include unintentional actions, such as clicking on a phishing email or sharing sensitive information, as well as intentional actions, such as insider threats.

To mitigate human risk, organizations should implement security controls that limit the impact of human error and human risk. These controls can include application whitelisting, restricting administrative privileges, multi-factor authentication, and user education.

SaaS

Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud-based delivery model that allows organizations to access software applications over the internet. SaaS has become increasingly popular in recent years, but it also poses security risks. Organizations need to ensure that their SaaS applications are secure and that they are properly configured and maintained.

To secure SaaS applications, organizations should implement the controls to which they have access. For control areas where customers are abstracted, such as Patching Operating Systems and Network Segmentation, companies should ensure they have confidence in the security of their vendors. Employees have new security roles and open up new human risks in the world of SaaS.

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