Turvarisk

Turvarisk is a term commonly used in risk management to describe risks to security that may affect people, assets, or information. The word combines turva, meaning security or protection in several Nordic languages, with risk. In practice, turvarisk refers to the potential for threats to exploit vulnerabilities and cause harm or disruption.

It covers a range of domains, including physical security (theft, vandalism, assault, access control failures), information security (data breaches, unauthorized access, fraud), cyber-physical threats (intrusions affecting operational technology), and operational integrity risks (disruptions to services or supply chains).

Assessing turvarisk typically involves identifying threats and vulnerabilities, estimating the likelihood of events, and evaluating potential impacts. Organizations often use risk matrices or quantitative methods, combining likelihood with consequence to produce a risk rating that guides prioritization and resource allocation.

Management of turvarisk relies on risk treatment measures such as avoidance, reduction, transfer, or acceptance. Common controls include physical barriers, surveillance, access management, encryption, incident response planning, staff training, and continuity planning. Integrating security considerations into broader risk management enhances resilience against both crime and cyber threats.

In many jurisdictions, turvarisk assessment aligns with established standards and frameworks, such as ISO 31000 for risk management or ISO/IEC 27001 for information security. The term is particularly common in Finnish-language risk discourse and is used by organizations, municipalities, and safety professionals to communicate and coordinate security risk responses.