Security Definitions

More frequently than not the terms Vulnerability, Threat, Risk, and Exposure are often interchanged. 

It is important to acknowledge that these words have are separate and unique meanings.

Vulnerability

- the lack of a countermeasures or a weakness in those countermeasures in place 

e.g., services running on a server, unpatched applications or operating systems, an unrestricted wireless access point,

Threat
- any potential danger that is associated with the exploitation of vulnerabilities

e.g., someone, or something, will identify a specific vulnerability and use it against the company or individual

Risk
- the likelihood of a threat agent exploiting a vulnerability and the corre- sponding business impact.

Exposure
- an instance of being exposed to losses