The Australian Signals Directorate's Essential Eight is the baseline cyber security framework for Australian organisations. HackLabs delivers evidence-based maturity assessments that go beyond tick-box compliance.
Talk to an ExpertThe ASD Essential Eight Maturity Model provides Australian organisations with a prioritised set of mitigation strategies across four maturity levels. HackLabs conducts rigorous technical assessments of your Essential Eight implementation — testing actual control effectiveness rather than relying on self-reported compliance.
Technical testing of application whitelisting implementation including bypass techniques, coverage gaps, and effectiveness against commodity and targeted threats.
Assessment of patch management processes and coverage for both applications and operating systems. We test actual patch status across your environment.
Review of Microsoft Office macro settings, web browser configuration, and user application hardening against ASD guidance and ML requirements.
Assessment of privileged access management, just-in-time access, admin account hygiene, and separation of administrative and standard user activities.
Coverage assessment of MFA implementation across internet-facing services, privileged access, remote access, and user accounts accessing sensitive data.
Testing of backup implementation including coverage, frequency, integrity, and recoverability. We test whether backups can actually survive a ransomware incident.
Define assessment scope, identify systems in scope for each of the eight controls, and establish access requirements for technical testing.
Evidence-based assessment of each control's implementation using a combination of configuration review, technical testing, and staff interviews.
Score each control against ML0-ML3 maturity levels based on objective evidence. Identify gaps and the effort required to reach the target maturity level.
Deliver a prioritised remediation roadmap that accounts for your target maturity level, risk appetite, and operational constraints.
HackLabs assessors are accredited under the Essential Eight framework, ensuring credible and recognised assessment outcomes.
CREST certification underpins our technical assessment quality across all cyber security disciplines.
Decades of experience with Australian government and enterprise security frameworks, including the ISM and Essential Eight.
We test controls technically — not just through documentation review. Your maturity score reflects actual implementation effectiveness.
For government agencies requiring assessment against the Australian Government Information Security Manual.
Broader governance, risk, and compliance advisory including ISO 27001 and PCI DSS assessments.
Technical testing that complements your Essential Eight implementation by identifying exploitable vulnerabilities.
Talk to a HackLabs Essential Eight specialist and get a tailored assessment proposal within one business day.
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