Monthly Security Report
Your organization demonstrates a proactive stance towards cybersecurity.
ML3 signifies a deeper integration of advanced security measures and practices, ensuring readiness against evolving cyber threats. By staying ahead of cybercriminals who employ sophisticated tactics, you bolster your defenses and minimize vulnerabilities.
This ongoing commitment to enhancing cyber resilience not only safeguards your critical assets but also instills confidence among stakeholders and customers in your ability to protect sensitive information and maintain operational continuity.
Understanding Essential Eight Maturity Level Three?
These adversaries are proficient in exploiting vulnerabilities within a target’s environment without relying on standard hacking tools.
They are quick to capitalize on newly discovered weaknesses and meticulously choose targets through extensive reconnaissance and social engineering.
Unlike opportunistic attackers, they seek sustained access to environments lacking robust logging and monitoring capabilities.
Achieving ML3 involves implementing comprehensive security measures that not only detect and mitigate these sophisticated threats but also ensure continuous improvement and readiness against emerging cyber risks.
Differences Between Maturity Level Two and Maturity Level One?
One key aspect of ML3 is its focus on implementing cyber activities within specific timeframes.
This proactive approach aims to minimize windows of opportunity that cyber-criminals could exploit.
By conducting critical cyber activities routinely and promptly, organizations can enhance their ability to detect, respond to, and recover from cyber threats effectively.
This continuous enhancement ensures that organizations remain agile and resilient in the face of evolving cyber risks and threats.
1-APPLICATION CONTROL
All too often, vulnerable applications are exploited by cyber criminals to gain access to your environment. That is why ML1 and ML2 emphasise the importance of only allowing staff to access applications you trust.
However, while most of the focus tends to be on internet-facing applications, it is also important to remember that non-internet facing systems must also be secured.
Non-internet facing systems can pose a significant risk to your organisation. If a cyber-criminal finds a way to breach your network perimeter, they may move laterally across the network, potentially compromising non-internet facing systems as well.
That’s why ML3 takes application control to the next level. Organisations looking to align with the Essential Eight’s ML3 should ensure they are also implementing security controls on applications hosted on non-internet facing servers.
To start with, we recommend turning off any applications on non-internet facing servers that are not absolutely necessary. For example, a non-internet facing server has no need for a web browser application, yet they are often installed by default. Such applications should either be disabled or removed completely.
Additionally, ML3 requires regular analysis of event logs from non-internet facing servers. This will help detect potentially malicious activity, such as unauthorised access, whether by staff members or external individuals.
2- PATCH APPLICATIONS
Unpatched applications are routinely exploited by cyber criminals to gain access to a target’s environment. That’s why ML1 and ML2 emphasise the importance of routine patching and vulnerability scanning, so your IT teams can ensure they don’t neglect rolling out important patches.
When it comes to the Essential Eight’s ML3, software patching is taken to the next level. Not only should regular patching be a routine activity, but it sets time limits on when those patches should be implemented.
Patches of critical vulnerabilities should be rolled out within 48 hours of a patch being made available. Meanwhile, patches for non-critical vulnerabilities should be rolled out within two weeks of the patch being made available.
These tighter time constraints around patching are designed to ensure that you don’t have vulnerable applications in your environment for extended periods of time, which would provide additional opportunities for cyber criminals to compromise you.
Additionally, ML3 requires the removal of applications from your environment in cases where the vendor no longer develops security patches.
3- CONFIGURE MICROSOFT OFFICE MACROS
Macros can be a useful efficiency tool for staff who need to perform repetitive tasks using the Microsoft Office suite of applications, such as Excel. However, as discussed in ML1 and ML2, macros may be vulnerable to cyber-criminals who can exploit the automation of macros to execute malware in your environment.
That is why it is advised to disable macros unless individual staff members can demonstrate an overriding need to use them.
To align with ML3, you should only allow Microsoft Office macros to run within a sandboxed environment. A sandbox is a virtual machine that is isolated from the rest of the network and applications.
This would allow staff who need to use macros to do so without risking the rest of the organisation. They could run software that is potentially unsafe, while ensuring that any risks would be contained.
4- APPLICATION HARDENING
To align with ML1 and ML2, you would have significantly hardened your applications by deactivating most unnecessary software functionality, including Flash and JavaScript.
To align with ML3, you should also disable or remove the .NET Framework, which is a widely used open-source software development framework. While many application developers enjoy the flexibility of the .NET Framework, it does pose a range of security risks.
The .NET Framework can be vulnerable to a range of risks, including remote code execution attacks.
Additionally, ML3 requires Windows PowerShell 2.0 to be disabled or removed. PowerShell is a task automation and configuration management program from Microsoft. Unlike newer PowerShell versions, version 2.0 lacks many security features, leaving it vulnerable to a range of attacks.
5- Importance of Restricting Administrative Privileges
Restricting administrative privileges is a fundamental aspect of cybersecurity that significantly enhances an organization's security posture.
By limiting access to critical systems and data to only those who need it, organizations can prevent unauthorized changes and reduce the risk of insider threats.
This approach minimizes the potential attack surface that cybercriminals can exploit, thereby safeguarding sensitive information and maintaining system integrity.
Additionally, implementing strict controls and regularly auditing administrative access ensures compliance with security policies and helps detect any anomalies or suspicious activities promptly.
Overall, restricting administrative privileges is vital for protecting against both internal and external threats and maintaining a robust cybersecurity framework.
How can SAGENEXA help?
SAGENEXA offers comprehensive support to help your organization align with the Essential Eight’s Maturity Level Three and achieve robust cyber resilience.
Our team of data experts provides tailored solutions that address your unique cybersecurity challenges. We offer a range of services, from initial assessments and strategy development to implementation and continuous monitoring.
By partnering with SAGENEXA, you gain access to our extensive knowledge and resources, ensuring that your cybersecurity measures are not only compliant but also effective in mitigating advanced threats.
Contact us today to learn how SAGENEXA can fortify your organization's defenses and support your ongoing cybersecurity efforts.