Here's how you can identify and assess risks and threats to your company's information security.

It is very important to identify all critical assets, including data in assets. Determine the value and sensitivity of each asset to understand the potential impact of a security breach. Create threat models to identify potential attack vectors and assess the likelihood of different threats. Assess the potential impact of each threat on your organization’s operations, finances, and reputation. Follow established frameworks like NIST or ISO 27001 for structured risk management. Regularly update risk assessments. Document and prioritize risks to focus on high-priority areas.

I would start be choosing a framework. In my case Zero Trust is the one that aligns with my view. Start by understanding Zero Trust. Continuous verification, Least privilege access, micro-segmentation and above all, Assume Breach! Begin with an inventory of all assets and classify data based on sensitivity. Map out access paths and establish behavioral baselines for users and devices. Evaluate your current security posture and identify gaps, conduct a risk assessment, implement strong identity and access management policies, network segmentation, and encryption. Stay alert for anomalies and have an incident response plan in place. Audit your security measures, update policies, and train employees on best practices.

There is nothing scarier than an unknown unknown. There should be no surprises, if you can’t sleep at night because you don’t know what your environment is doing or you sleep well then you’re doing it wrong. Inventory every single risk, highlight it to relevant people and burn that list down whenever you can. Security is a long haul, you will never know everything but you should be pretty sure you will find it.

?Asset Inventory: Identify critical assets (data, systems, infrastructure). ?Threat Assessment: Evaluate potential threats (cyberattacks, insider threats, natural disasters). ?Vulnerability Analysis: Assess weaknesses in systems and processes. ?Risk Analysis: Combine threat likelihood and impact severity to prioritize risks. ?Mitigation Strategies: Develop and implement controls (encryption, access controls). ?Monitoring and Review: Continuously monitor and update risk assessments

You can't protect what you don't know you have ?? Although inventory is not fun or sexy, it's one of the most important things in understandimg what your risk surface is. Other strategies branch from this simple concept, yet there are many places without true visibility into their assets.

Conduct a thorough threat analysis to understand the various threats that could potentially target the organization. Besides, evaluate both internal and external threats, considering factors like insider threats, natural disasters and Cybercriminals Like APT activities. Analyze the likelihood and potential impact of these threats to prioritize security efforts effectively.

Perform vulnerability scans using automated tools regularly to identify weaknesses in systems, applications, and network. These scans help us to detect outdated software, misconfigurations, and other vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers. Addressing the findings from these scans promptly helps mitigate risks and strengthens overall security posture.

Often, security is seen as a cost rather than an investment. An impact assessment would show otherwise. Understanding the consequences helps attribute financial value to protecting your organization. This maps a clear ROI for many cybersecurity initiatives like software, pentesting, security staff and more. When you see the direct and indirect consequences of poor security—lost opportunities, revenue, reputation, partnerships, fines, etc.—it all points to making cybersecurity a priority.