Fundamentals of IT risk analysis
Risk Wisdom

© Lead Image © lightwise, 123RF.com
IT risk analysis determines the systems that need protection and helps the IT manager determine which protective actions are most cost effective.
Providers of security and anti-malware products like to spread images of young hackers wearing hoodies as a threat to IT systems. But, more often, employees of a company pose a greater threat to information security. Insiders are responsible for about 70 percent of the incidents; external attackers who exploit security vulnerabilities account for about 30 percent. The ISO/IEC 27005 standard [1] on IT risk management lists poorly trained or careless employees, disgruntled or malicious employees, and dishonest or recently fired employees as the main hazards.
At the same time, the profile of the external attacker is also changing. The romantic notion of the lonesome hacker sitting in an apartment and stealing data for the joy of being able to do so is far from the norm. Hacking today is usually a business where prices are defined by supply, demand, and ancillary costs (see the box titled "Cost and Benefits for Attackers.")
In this climate, every business needs to be aware of potential security threats, and it helps to have a systematic strategy for quantifying risk and assigning priorities as to which problems are most urgent. The business tool for getting to grips with vulnerability assessment is risk analysis. Risk analysis helps a company identify the risks, calculate the financial impact, identify vulnerabilities, assess threats, and put a value on the damage that would occur if someone were to exploit existing vulnerabilities and conflicts. The goal is not just to find the most glaring vulnerability or the most expensive loss scenario – risk analysis attempts to evaluate the severity of an attack in the context of the likelihood the attack will occur, showing IT managers which prevention measures will give the most protection for the IT dollar.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
There's a New Linux AI Assistant in Town
Newelle is a Linux AI assistant that can work with different LLMs and includes document parsing and profiles.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Released with Minor Fixes
The latest Linux kernel doesn't really include any big-ticket features, just a lot of lines of code.
-
EU Sovereign Tech Fund Gains Traction
OpenForum Europe recently released a report regarding a sovereign tech fund with backing from several significant entities.
-
FreeBSD Promises a Full Desktop Installer
FreeBSD has lacked an option to include a full desktop environment during installation.
-
Linux Hits an Important Milestone
If you pay attention to the news in the Linux-sphere, you've probably heard that the open source operating system recently crashed through a ceiling no one thought possible.
-
Plasma Bigscreen Returns
A developer discovered that the Plasma Bigscreen feature had been sitting untouched, so he decided to do something about it.
-
CachyOS Now Lets Users Choose Their Shell
Imagine getting the opportunity to select which shell you want during the installation of your favorite Linux distribution. That's now a thing.
-
Wayland 1.24 Released with Fixes and New Features
Wayland continues to move forward, while X11 slowly vanishes into the shadows, and the latest release includes plenty of improvements.
-
Bugs Found in sudo
Two critical flaws allow users to gain access to root privileges.
-
Fedora Continues 32-Bit Support
In a move that should come as a relief to some portions of the Linux community, Fedora will continue supporting 32-bit architecture.