C h a p t e r 3 | P r o p o r t i o n a l i t y o f R i s k – I n t r o d u c t i o n t o R i s k / T h r e a t A n a l y s i s
sensor in a controlled environment may have a much
smaller attack surface.
2. Assessing Threat Likelihood
and Impact
Once assets are identified, the next step is to
assess the likelihood of a threat and the potential
impact of a breach. Two key questions must be
asked: What is the likelihood of an attacker exploiting
this vulnerability? And, if they do, what is the
potential damage?
High-impact, low-likelihood events—such as a state-
sponsored attack on critical infrastructure—may
still require strong security measures because the
potential consequences are too severe to ignore. On
the other hand, low-impact, high-likelihood events,
such as a common malware infection on a home IoT
device, requires less stringent security measures.
3. Evaluating Attack Complexity
Another factor in threat analysis is understanding
the complexity of an attack. Some attacks require
a high level of expertise and significant resources,
while others can be performed with minimal technical
It's important to understand how
the overall system works and
what the impact will be if
something is compromised.
Some things can have little
impact and be mitigated in
different ways, while other
things could be dramatic.
It's about recognizing
what is enough for the
specific situation."
Eve Atallah
Security Evaluation Engineer,
NXP Semiconductors
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7 Experts Discuss Managing Security Risk and Regulatory Compliance at the Edge
