Cyberriskers

Cyberriskers is a term used to describe professionals, organizations, and researchers who focus on identifying, assessing, and mitigating cyber risk within information systems and digital ecosystems. The label combines the concept of cyber risk with the plural suffix to denote a community of practitioners who span industry sectors and roles. Cyberriskers typically work in private companies, government agencies, and consulting or insurance firms, and they may operate within risk management, information security, compliance, or governance functions.

Core activities include risk assessment and quantification, threat modeling, vulnerability management, incident response planning, business continuity, third-party risk management, and regulatory compliance. They collaborate with executives to establish risk appetite, define risk metrics, and report residual risk in understandable terms for non-technical leadership. The role often requires aligning cybersecurity objectives with enterprise risk management and broader governance structures.

Methods and frameworks commonly employed by cyberriskers include quantitative risk analysis using approaches such as the FAIR model, as well as established standards and frameworks like NIST RMF, ISO/IEC 27005, and OCTAVE. They rely on loss event data, scenario testing, and risk dashboards to communicate risk levels and to support decision-making across IT, legal, privacy, and procurement functions.

Education and credentials vary, but many cyberriskers come from information security, IT, or risk management backgrounds. Relevant certifications include CRISC, CISSP, and CISM, along with specialized training in risk analytics or cyber insurance.

Challenges in the field include the fast pace of threat evolution, difficulties in accurately quantifying cyber risk, data gaps, and regulatory fragmentation. The term is informal and usage can differ by industry.