Strategies to Mitigate Cyber Security Incidents

The cybersecurity space is evolving rapidly and COVID-19, with its unprecedented requirements for a work-from-home and ultimately a work-from-anywhere workforce, has only accelerated the proliferation of threats facing Australia’s corporate and government organisations. In response, the Australian government, via the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has released comprehensive guidance under “Strategies to Mitigate Cyber Security Incidents” with a core “Essential 8” strategies providing the foundation.

This white paper outlines the significant position that Identity occupies, as a critical control point that must be addressed in an integrated way, and why multi-factor authentication (MFA) has been designated “Essential” by the ACSC guidelines. Governments across the globe and those who manage critical infrastructure and sensitive data such as the payments industry, are adopting new standards for cybersecurity, with growing mandates for compliance. The critical role of Identity and Access Management (IAM) and in particular the move towards mandating MFA can be seen in industry-leading guidance such as NIST in North America and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. This white paper explores best practice and highest priority considerations for evolving IAM, within the context of Okta’s suite of solutions for the Australian cybersecurity space.

The ACSC guidelines, with their Essential 8 baseline strategies provide an opportunity to evolve security in a strategic, system-wide approach and maximise the resulting benefits across the entire organisation.