Threats

A threat is the potential for an attacker to take advantage of a vulnerability on a system. An example of a threat can be a disgruntled employee who has been given a warning letter in an organization. This person may want to inflict harm to the company's network and has decided to research exploitation.

Some further examples of threats include malware, Denial of Service (DoS), and phishing.

Let's now discuss risk and countermeasure:

• Risk: A risk is the likelihood of a threat actor taking advantage of a vulnerability that can attack a network system, which leads to damage to the network
• Countermeasure: A countermeasure can be a combination of a process and a device that can act together as a safeguard against potential attacks, thereby reducing security risks

A firewall is configured with an access control list, and a server with security policies.