Managing Cyber Security in your Retail Business

What are the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) Essential Eight?

According to a major advisory published on the Australian Cyber Security Center’s (ACSC) official website, all Australian enterprises are urged to prioritise cybersecurity and promptly strengthen their security posture. It suggests that businesses give the following initiatives top priority:

• Patch applications and devices
• Implement defences against phishing attacks.
• Make sure logging and detection systems are operational and completely updated.
• Review business continuity and incident response strategy.

Eight crucial measures are advised by the ACSC to stop malware transmission, reduce the impact of cybersecurity attacks, and enhance recovery. Implementing the crucial eight cybersecurity rules can assist organisations in better protecting their systems and data from threat actors.

The Essential Eight strategies are:

1. Application Control

This precautionary approach guards against the execution of malicious code in systems. It establishes controls to ensure that only the approved applications are available after identifying the ones that can be used. Organizations must comprehensively understand all the programmes and operations used by network users before putting this safeguard into place. It is also important to keep an eye out for strange behaviour and, if necessary, take prompt action.

2. Application Patching

This requires the timely application of new patches, vulnerability checks to find new problems, and the designating of persons in charge of carrying them out. Organizations must figure out a way to assess the information collected from various vulnerability scanners and produce actionable analytical insight if they are to implement this control successfully. A threat should be automatically and promptly mitigated when it is identified.

3. Restrict Administrative Privileges

To control the escalation of critical activities, ACSC recommends implementing measures such as identifying tasks that require privileged access, creating separate attributable accounts for members who carry them out, and restricting administrative privileges to a select few. This keeps malicious actors from gaining control of critical security controls and configurations.

4. Patch Operating Systems

Operating system patching is similar to patching applications in that it entails routinely checking for newly released patches and evaluating data from vulnerability management systems to take prompt action. It is the responsibility of those participating in this process to determine whether the patch is necessary and secure and to test it before deployment.

5. Configure Microsoft Office Macro Settings

To lessen the risk posed by harmful macros that might include malignant code for a cyber invasion, businesses can take a variety of steps. These include turning off macros for people who do not need them, only activating macros from reputable sources, and verifying the digital signatures of macros before using them. Additionally, organisations should be able to monitor actions that could point to an impending attack, such as processes, services, or apps that are launched without the user’s knowledge.

6. Using Application Hardening

This control lists restrictions on user applications that frequently interact with web content. Hardening configurations are used to do this, such as blocking Flash and ads on web browsers or JavaScript on particular websites.

7. Multi-Factor Authentication

In addition to the typical methods for implementing multi-factor authentication, ACSC advises taking additional steps like maximal device hardening, making sure a visual alert is displayed for each authentication request, and storing software certificates in the trusted platform module of the devices.

8. Regular Backups

Backups, both online and offline, should be performed often. These should also outline the appropriate incident response procedures and include steps to warn users or identify a breach.

 

RetailCare can help Australian Businesses in adhering to the Essential Eight Framework for Cybersecurity by equipping them with solutions required to guard against data breaches and data leaks.

Contact RetailCare today to see how we can assist you with Essential Eight compliance.