What is the Essential 8: A Plain English Guide
What is the Essential 8: A Plain English Guide for Australian Business Owners
What is The Essential 8
Cyber security can feel complex, technical, and overwhelming. That’s why the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) created the Essential 8 — a practical framework that cuts through the noise and gives businesses a starting point.
Think of it as the “top eight things” every business should do to reduce the risk of a cyber incident. It’s not about expensive tools or complicated jargon. It’s about practical steps that make it harder for attackers to succeed.
Why The Essential 8 Matters
For business owners, cyber risk is no longer an IT problem — it’s a business risk. A single breach can mean downtime, financial loss, reputational damage, or regulatory consequences.
The Essential 8 provides a baseline. If implemented properly, these strategies significantly reduce your exposure to the most common types of attacks, such as phishing, ransomware, and unauthorised access.
For industries engaging with government or Defence, meeting Essential 8 standards is increasingly a requirement, not just a recommendation. For every other business, it’s a sensible benchmark to show customers, partners, and insurers that you’re taking security seriously.
The Eight Strategies
Here’s what the Essential 8 actually means in practice:
Application Control – Only let approved programs run on your computers.
Patch Applications – Keep your software up to date to close known weaknesses.
Configure Microsoft Office Macros – Stop malicious code hiding in documents from running.
User Application Hardening – Disable risky features like Flash or old web browser settings.
Restrict Administrative Privileges – Limit “admin” access so staff only have what they need.
Patch Operating Systems – Keep your computers and servers updated with security fixes.
Multi-Factor Authentication – Add an extra step (like an app or token) to logins, not just a password.
Regular Backups – Have reliable backups that are tested and can be restored quickly if needed.
The Maturity Levels Explained
The ACSC measures how well these strategies are implemented across four maturity levels (0–3).
Level 0 – Gaps exist, vulnerabilities remain.
Level 1 – Some controls in place, but attackers could still get through.
Level 2 – Recommended baseline for most businesses; attackers will find it difficult.
Level 3 – Strong, consistent protection against sophisticated threats.
Most Australian businesses should be aiming for Maturity Level 2.
What this Means for You
For business owners, the Essential 8 provides clarity:
You don’t need to do everything at once. Start with the basics.
It’s measurable. You can see where you stand today and where you need to be.
It’s recognised. Customers, partners, and regulators understand the Essential 8.
By adopting the Essential 8, you’re not just meeting a compliance checkbox — you’re protecting your business, your people, and your future.
How Does E8 Relate to DISP ?
For Australian businesses in the Defence supply chain, cyber security is not optional it’s essential. Under the Defence Industry Security Program (DISP), all member businesses are required to meet the Essential 8 at Maturity Level 2 (ML2).
This is because the Department of Defence recognises that ML2 represents the minimum level of resilience needed to defend against today’s common cyber threats. It demonstrates that your business can protect sensitive information, maintain continuity, and operate securely within Defence projects.
In practice, this means:
If you want to apply for DISP membership, you must be able to evidence your Essential 8 ML2 compliance.
If you are already a DISP member, you need to maintain ML2 as an ongoing requirement — it’s not a one-off exercise.
An Essential 8 Gap Analysis is often the starting point for businesses to benchmark their current maturity and build a roadmap to ML2.
For Defence suppliers, the Essential 8 is more than a framework, it’s the foundation of DISP compliance. Achieving and sustaining ML2 is essential for eligibility, reputation, and resilience in the Defence sector.
How Does E8 Relate to ISO 27001 ?
The Essential 8 and ISO 27001 are both about cyber security, but they serve different purposes and operate at different levels.
Essential 8 is a practical, technical baseline created by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC). It focuses on eight specific strategies (like patching, MFA, backups) that directly reduce the risk of common cyber attacks. It’s tactical, measurable, and designed for Australian businesses — especially those in Defence and government supply chains.
ISO 27001 is an international management standard for information security. It provides a broad framework for managing security across people, processes, and technology. It covers areas such as leadership, governance, risk management, supplier controls, and continuous improvement.
How Does Essential 8 and ISO 27001 Overlap?
The Essential 8 can be seen as the technical foundation that supports ISO 27001. For example:
ISO 27001 requires you to manage risks — Essential 8 provides specific controls that mitigate those risks.
ISO 27001 requires secure system configuration — Essential 8 specifies exactly how (e.g. disabling macros, restricting admin).
Both aim to protect data, reduce risk, and build resilience. Meeting ISO 27001 will require a separate body of work and resilience structures which can be supported by Essential 8 Maturity level alignment.
The Key Difference?
ISO 27001 can lead to formal certification by an accredited body.
Essential 8 is a maturity model with no official certificate, but often mandated (e.g. DISP requires ML2).
For many businesses, the most effective approach is to use the Essential 8 as a stepping stone — a way to uplift technical defences quickly — while ISO 27001 provides the wider governance framework for long-term information security management.
The Simple Truth
Businesses should not view the Essential 8, ISO 27001, or any other framework as a complete solution on their own. Neither is a substitute for the other. Each plays a role, but cyber security is not about ticking a single box, it’s about building resilience across the whole organisation.
The right starting point is not choosing a framework, but reviewing your overall business risk. That includes digital risk, legislative obligations, regulatory requirements, and commercial priorities. From there, you can develop a tailored cyber security strategy that reflects your unique operating environment.
That strategy will then enable you to identify which framework or combination of frameworks to adopt, in a way that balances risk, time, budget, and resources, and ultimately delivers the greatest protection for your business.
Where to Start?
The first step is to understand your current position. That means asking:
What risks would my business face if systems were disrupted or data was stolen?
Which security measures do we already have in place — and are they effective?
Do we have obligations under DISP, ISO, or industry regulations that set minimum standards?
For most businesses, answering these questions and navigating the path to uplift isn’t something you can do alone. The Essential 8 is technical, DISP has strict requirements, and ISO involves broader governance. Most businesses will need third-party help to work through the process properly.
Engaging an independent cyber security provider allows you to:
Benchmark your current maturity against the Essential 8.
Identify gaps and risks that might otherwise be missed internally.
Build a clear, prioritised roadmap for uplift that matches your risk, budget, and resources.
This external perspective ensures your strategy is realistic, achievable, and aligned with both business and compliance needs.