CySA+ domain #1: introduction to threat management

Introduction

CompTIA’s Cybersecurity Analyst certification is a solid cybersecurity certification you can earn which will help boost your information security career. The question remains — what will you have to traverse to earn this solid certification? Simply put, you will need to pass the CySA+ certification exam. 

This exam comprises four domains of knowledge, and the first domain is Threat Management. This article will provide an introductory review of what you will need to know to successfully trek through this domain. You will learn about some commonly used terms, risk assessments, identifying vulnerabilities, identifying threats, determining likelihood, impact and risk. 

Please bear in mind that this article will only detail an introductory view of threat management and you will need to look for subsequent articles to guide you through the rest of the domain.

Commonly used terms

To start out this introduction, let’s look at some commonly used terms you will need to know. Most probably already know these definitions, so it is mainly here for those who need a refresher.

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• Vulnerability: A vulnerability is a weakness in a system, application, device or process that might allow an attack to occur
• Threat: With regard to cybersecurity, a threat is an outside force may exploit a vulnerability
• Risk: A risk is the combination of a threat and a corresponding vulnerability. In other words, risk is the intersection of threats and vulnerabilities
• Risk can also be defined with an equation: Risk = Threat x Vulnerability

Risk assessment

To take stock of the current risk landscape, organizations need to perform a risk assessment. Risk assessments play a pivotal role in real-world threat management and, as such, will be the lens that we view threat management through. 

A foundation for risk assessment that is widely used throughout cybersecurity is established in (Read more...)