A risk is a function of which factors?

A risk is a function of which factors?

• A. Threat, vulnerability, and impact
• B. Threat, vulnerability
• C. Vulnerability and impact
• D. Threat and impact

Answer: (A)

The level of risk comes from how a potential threat can exploit a weakness and what the resulting consequences would be. Think of risk as a combination of three elements: a threat, the system’s vulnerability to that threat, and the impact if the threat is realized. The threat is the source of harm, the vulnerability is the weakness that could be exploited, and the impact is the severity of the outcome if exploitation occurs. When all three are present and significant, risk is meaningfully high. If any one of these elements is missing or minimal, the overall risk drops accordingly. That’s why the best choice includes threat, vulnerability, and impact.

The level of risk comes from how a potential threat can exploit a weakness and what the resulting consequences would be. Think of risk as a combination of three elements: a threat, the system’s vulnerability to that threat, and the impact if the threat is realized. The threat is the source of harm, the vulnerability is the weakness that could be exploited, and the impact is the severity of the outcome if exploitation occurs. When all three are present and significant, risk is meaningfully high. If any one of these elements is missing or minimal, the overall risk drops accordingly. That’s why the best choice includes threat, vulnerability, and impact.