What is a cybersecurity risk assessment?

A cybersecurity risk assessment refers to detecting the information assets that are prone to cyber-attacks(including customer data, hardware, laptop, etc.) and also evaluates various risks that could affect those assets.

It is mostly performed to identify, evaluate, and prioritize risks across organizations.

The best way to perform cybersecurity risk assessment is to detect:

  • Relevant threats in your organization
  • Internal and external vulnerabilities
  • Evaluate vulnerabilities impact if they are exploited

A cybersecurity risk assessment identifies the various information assets that could be affected by a cyber attack (such as hardware, systems, laptops, customer data, and intellectual property), and then identifies the various risks that could affect those assets.
Risk assessment – the process of identifying, analyzing, and evaluating risk – is the only way to ensure that the cybersecurity controls you choose are appropriate to the risks your organization faces.

Without a risk assessment to inform your cybersecurity choices, you could waste time, effort and resources – there is, after all, little point implementing measures to defend against events that are unlikely to occur or won’t have much material impact on your organization.

Likewise, it is possible that you will underestimate or overlook risks that could cause significant damage to your organization.

A cybersecurity risk assessment identifies the various information assets that could be affected by a cyber attack (such as hardware, systems, laptops, customer data, and intellectual property), and then identifies the various risks that could affect those assets.

A risk estimation and evaluation is usually performed, followed by the selection of controls to treat the identified risks. It is important to continually monitor and review the risk environment to detect any changes in the context of the organization, and to maintain an overview of the complete risk management process.