Risk Assessment for DDoS Attack on Company Web Server

Calculating Risk for Breached Web Server Availability

Question

A company's web server availability was breached by a DDoS attack and was offline for 3 hours because it was not deemed a critical asset in the incident response playbook.

Leadership has requested a risk assessment of the asset.

An analyst conducted the risk assessment using the threat sources, events, and vulnerabilities.

Which additional element is needed to calculate the risk?

Answers

Explanations

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A. B. C. D.

D.

When conducting a risk assessment, multiple factors need to be considered to determine the level of risk associated with an asset. The factors typically include threat sources, events, vulnerabilities, and additional elements, such as the assessment scope, event severity and likelihood, incident response playbook, and risk model framework.

In the given scenario, a company's web server availability was breached by a DDoS attack and was offline for 3 hours because it was not considered a critical asset in the incident response playbook. The incident has raised concerns about the asset's risk, and leadership has requested a risk assessment.

To conduct the risk assessment, an analyst will need to consider several factors:

  1. Threat Sources: The analyst will need to identify the possible sources of threats that can affect the asset. This could include threat actors, natural disasters, human errors, or technical failures.

  2. Events: The analyst will need to identify the events that can lead to a security breach or data loss. In this scenario, the DDoS attack is the event that caused the web server's availability to be breached.

  3. Vulnerabilities: The analyst will need to identify the vulnerabilities in the asset's infrastructure, software, or hardware that can be exploited by threat sources to cause damage or compromise the asset.

  4. Additional Elements: The analyst will also need to consider additional elements to calculate the risk, such as the assessment scope, event severity and likelihood, incident response playbook, and risk model framework.

Therefore, the answer to the question, "Which additional element is needed to calculate the risk?" would depend on the analyst's approach and methodology for conducting the risk assessment. Here are some details about each option:

A. Assessment Scope: This refers to the scope of the risk assessment, which can include specific assets, processes, or systems. The analyst can use the assessment scope to determine the extent of the risk assessment and identify the areas that need more attention.

B. Event Severity and Likelihood: The severity and likelihood of the event can help the analyst determine the level of risk associated with the asset. Severity refers to the impact of the event, while likelihood refers to the probability of the event occurring.

C. Incident Response Playbook: The incident response playbook outlines the procedures to follow in case of a security incident. The analyst can use the incident response playbook to identify gaps in the organization's security procedures and determine the level of risk associated with the asset.

D. Risk Model Framework: The risk model framework provides a structured approach to assess and quantify risk. The analyst can use the risk model framework to evaluate the likelihood and impact of a risk event and calculate the risk level associated with the asset.

In conclusion, to calculate the risk associated with an asset, an analyst needs to consider several factors, including threat sources, events, vulnerabilities, and additional elements such as the assessment scope, event severity and likelihood, incident response playbook, and risk model framework.