Threats

Threats are potential causes of harm or disruption that may exploit vulnerabilities in a system, organization, or situation. In risk management, a threat is distinguished from a vulnerability and an impact: a threat represents the source of potential harm, a vulnerability is a weakness that could be exploited, and impact is the consequence if the threat materializes.

Threats can be natural, human-made, or technological. Natural threats include floods, storms, earthquakes, and pandemics. Human-made threats include criminal activity, terrorism, insider risk, and political instability. Technological threats include cyberattacks, malware, phishing, data breaches, and system failures. Threats can also be strategic or reputational, arising from misinformation or competitive pressures.

Assessing threats involves identifying possible threats, estimating the likelihood of each threat, and evaluating the potential impact. This process often uses threat modeling, historical data, and intelligence to prioritize risks. Organizations then apply controls and plans to prevent, detect, and respond to threats, such as access controls, monitoring systems, backups, incident response, crisis management, and resilience measures. Redundancy, diversity of suppliers, and recovery planning help reduce exposure.

Ethical and legal considerations guide how threats are assessed and mitigated, including privacy, proportionality of responses, and transparency. A well-designed threat management program emphasizes preparedness, continuous monitoring, and learning from incidents to reduce vulnerability over time.