Small Business Cyber Security Health Check — Self-Assessment Tool

Small businesses are the number one target for cybercriminals. Is yours ready?

You don't need to be a big corporation to be attacked. Small businesses hold customer data, financial records, supplier details, and employee information — and attackers know most don't have dedicated IT security. The average cost of a cyber incident to an Australian small business runs into tens of thousands of dollars, and that's before you count the lost customers, downtime, and reputational damage. Under the Privacy Act, businesses with over $3 million in turnover have legal obligations to protect personal information — and the OAIC is increasingly taking action when they don't.

This Health Check gives you a clear picture of where your business stands — and a practical action plan to close the gaps. No IT background needed.

Built for business owners, not IT professionals:

Every question is written in plain, everyday English. Technical terms include built-in hover tooltips that explain them simply, and the companion user guide explains the intent behind every question so you always understand what's being asked and why.

When you're done, the tool generates a clear, easy-to-follow action plan tailored to your business. Each recommendation tells you what the gap is, what to do about it, how urgent it is, and roughly how much time and money it will take — automatically sorted by priority. No guesswork, no generic advice — just practical steps based on your actual answers.

What's included:

1. Self-Assessment Tool (HTML file) A comprehensive interactive assessment covering 12 key security areas across 80 questions, designed for any small business:

→ Passwords & Access — Are your important systems and data properly secured? → Backups & Recovery — Could you recover your business data after ransomware or hardware failure? → Staff Awareness — Do your team know how to spot scams, phishing, and suspicious activity? → Your Data — Are customer records, financial data, and employee information properly protected? → Incident Response — Do you know what to do if your business is hit by a cyber attack? → Suppliers & Services — Are your IT providers and software vendors covered? → Plus six more domains covering updates, security software, device security, network protection, secure configuration, and leadership planning.

2. User Guide & Question Reference (Word document) A comprehensive companion guide including:

→ Step-by-step instructions for navigating the assessment and using all features → Tips for answering accurately — what "Yes" really means and how to think about evidence → How to interpret your results — understanding your score, readiness level, and priority actions → How to use the Word and Excel exports for compliance, insurance, and IT provider discussions → Full question reference guide — every question explained with "Why This Matters" context and "Evidence to Look For" indicators

What you get when you complete the assessment:

✔ Overall security score with a clear readiness rating

✔ Visual dashboard with category-by-category breakdown

✔ Prioritised action plan — personalised to your answers, sorted by urgency, with estimated time and cost

✔ Specific, actionable recommendations written in plain language

✔ Exportable Word report — ready to share with business partners or insurers

✔ Exportable Excel workbook with incident response contacts and step-by-step checklist

✔ Australian-focused — references ACSC, ASD Essential Eight, OAIC, Privacy Act, and Notifiable Data Breaches scheme

Who is this for?

• Small business owners wanting to understand and improve their security posture
• Business managers looking for a practical starting point for cyber security
• Businesses preparing for cyber insurance applications or renewals
• Anyone who knows they should be doing more but doesn't know where to start
• Works for any industry — retail, trades, hospitality, professional services, and more

How it works:

Download both files — open the HTML file in any modern browser and keep the user guide handy. Answer the questions honestly, and the tool does the rest. No installation, no software, no cloud account required. Your data stays on your device.

Built by CyberAssure — practical cyber security tools for Australian businesses.