The Definition of Risk in IT Security

The Answer: Threat coupled with a vulnerability.

Threats are circumstances or actions with the ability to harm a system.

They can destroy or modify data or result.

an a DoS.Threats by themselves are not acted upon unless there is a vulnerability that can be taken advantage of.Risk enters the equation when a vulnerability (Flaw or weakness) exists in policies, procedures, personnel management, hardware, software or facilities and can be exploited by a threat agent.Vulnerabilities do not cause harm, but they leave the system open to harm.The combination of a threat with a vulnerability increases the risk to the system of an intrusion.

The following answers are incorrect: Threat coupled with a breach.A threat is the potential that a particular threat-source will take advantage of a vulnerability.Breaches get around security.

It does not matter if a breach is discovered or not, it has still occured and is not a risk of something occuring.A breach would quite often be termed as an incident or intrusion.

Vulnerability coupled with an attack.Vulnerabilities are weaknesses (flaws) in policies, procedures, personnel management, hardware, software or factilities that may result in a harmful intrusion to an IT system.An attack takes advantage of the flaw or vulnerability.

Attacks are explicit attempts to violate security, and are more than risk as they are active.

Threat coupled with a breach of security.This is a detractor.

Although a threat agent may take advantage of (Breach) vulnerabilities or flaws in systems security.

A threat coupled with a breach of security is more than a risk as this is active.

The following reference(s) may be used to research the Qs in this question: ISC2 OIG, 2007 p.

66-67 - Shon Harris AIO v3 p.

71-72

The best combination that defines risk within the realm of IT security is "threat coupled with a vulnerability," which is option B.

Here is an explanation for each term:

• Threat: A potential danger or harm that could exploit a vulnerability, intentionally or unintentionally, to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to an information asset. Examples of threats include viruses, malware, hackers, natural disasters, and human error.

• Vulnerability: A weakness or gap in a system or network that could be exploited by a threat to cause harm or damage. Vulnerabilities can be technical, such as software bugs, misconfigurations, or design flaws, or non-technical, such as social engineering, physical security, or lack of training.

• Breach: An unauthorized access or disclosure of sensitive or confidential data or systems that compromises their confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Breaches can be caused by internal or external actors, deliberate or accidental actions, and can result in financial losses, legal penalties, reputational damage, or identity theft.

• Attack: A deliberate attempt to exploit a vulnerability by a threat actor to achieve a specific goal or objective. Attacks can be launched using various techniques, such as phishing, denial of service, ransomware, or SQL injection, and can have different motives, such as espionage, sabotage, fraud, or activism.

Therefore, risk in IT security refers to the likelihood or probability that a threat will exploit a vulnerability and cause harm or damage to an information asset. Risk can be assessed, evaluated, and managed by identifying, analyzing, prioritizing, and mitigating threats and vulnerabilities, and by implementing security controls, policies, and procedures that reduce the likelihood and impact of security incidents.