How Was the Risk Found? — TechKnowSurge

About this interactive

Risk identification is the first step of the risk cycle: you cannot analyse or overcome a risk until you know it is there. The lesson starts by writing down the risks you already know about, then uses four methods to find more. Asset review: list what has value to the company (money, data, code, reputation, even key employees) and ask what could happen to each. The asset points you at the risk. Vulnerability scans and penetration tests: tools and testers look for weaknesses in systems. Vulnerability management is its own process, but its findings feed the risk assessment. Assessments and audits: almost any assessment can surface risk. The lesson names a gap analysis (the difference between a standard you must meet and what you actually do), and operational, backup and recovery, software and services, network, and compliance assessments. The demo adds asset and data inventory assessments. Interviews and questions: ask managers and departments what they fear, what systems they use, what has hurt the business before, and what has hurt similar businesses. Whatever the method, the risks found go into one list, often a risk register, so they can be tracked.

What you'll learn

Name the risk identification method behind an activity: reviewing assets, scanning or testing for vulnerabilities, running an assessment or audit, or interviewing people
Recognize a gap analysis and other assessments as ways to surface risk, alongside the vulnerability scans and penetration tests that risk management borrows from vulnerability management

Aligned to

CompTIA Security+

5.2 Explain elements of the risk management process.

Key terms

Risk Assessment: The process of identifying, analyzing, and evaluating risks to determine their potential impact.
Asset: Any resource of value to an organization, including hardware, software, data, and personnel.
Penetration Testing: An authorized simulated attack on a system to identify and evaluate security vulnerabilities.
Gap Analysis: A process of comparing an organization's current security or compliance posture against required standards to identify deficiencies that must be remediated.
Vulnerability Assessment: The process of identifying, quantifying, and prioritizing vulnerabilities in a system.
Risk Register: A centralized document or database that tracks identified risks, their likelihood, potential impact, assigned owners, and planned response actions. The risk register is a core artifact of an organization's risk management program.

Topics

Risk Management Risk Assessment Interactive Categorize

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