ASD releases network defence guidance

The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC) has released new guidance around mitigations for network defence.

Designed for both executives and technical staff, the guidance supports a defence-in-depth approach that enhances resilience across the entire network environment – not just at the edge.

It complements the ASD's existing guidance for securing edge devices by extending mitigations across the wider network environment, including core routing, switching and intermediary network components.

The guidance provides two case studies - one real-world and one hypothetical - as well as a prioritised set of strategic actions for network defence.

The guidance organises actions for network defence into priority-based tiers, drawing from existing guidance provided by ASD and international partners.

The ASD recommends that the tiers should be treated as guidance rather than strict requirements, with organisations advised to adjust the prioritisation of actions according to their risk profile, architecture and threat environment.

The ASD's mitigations for network defence.

"Network infrastructure remains a primary target for malicious actors," the ASD stated.

"Compromised routers, switches, firewalls and VPNs can provide persistent access into networks. This network defender guidance highlights the most important actions organisations can take to strengthen the defence of their network infrastructure.

"By adopting these measures, organisations reduce exposure to both state-sponsored and criminal cyber threats, and improve their ability to detect, contain and eliminate cyber security incidents."