Risk Assessment (Information Security)
An information security risk assessment is the systematic process of identifying threats and vulnerabilities affecting your information assets, evaluating their likelihood and impact, and deciding which risks to treat, accept, transfer, or avoid.
Where it sits in the process
In ISO/IEC 27001, Clause 6.1.2 makes the risk assessment the engine of the whole ISMS: its results decide which Annex A controls you need, which the Statement of Applicability then documents. Skip or shortcut it and the control set is arbitrary — the most common finding auditors raise.
Methodologies vary (asset-based, scenario-based, quantitative vs qualitative scales), but every defensible approach answers the same questions: what assets matter, what could go wrong, how likely is it, how bad would it be, and what residual risk remains after treatment. ISO/IEC 27005 provides dedicated guidance.
Beyond ISO 27001
The same discipline appears across the regulatory landscape: DORA requires an ICT risk-management framework built on risk assessment, NIS2 expects risk-based measures, and GDPR Article 32 demands security appropriate to the risk. One well-run assessment can feed all of them.
Related Standards
- •ISO/IEC 27001:2022 — Clause 6.1.2
- •ISO/IEC 27005 — risk management guidance
- •Regulation (EU) 2022/2554 (DORA) — ICT risk management
Free Tools & Resources
Further Reading
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