ISC2 CC Security Principles Practice Question
In risk management, which term describes the probability that a threat will exploit a vulnerability and cause harm to an asset?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Risk
Risk is defined as the likelihood of a threat exploiting a vulnerability, resulting in harm to an asset.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Vulnerability
Why it's wrong here
A vulnerability is the weakness itself, not the likelihood of exploitation; the stem asks for probability, which is risk. It is tempting because vulnerability assessment feeds risk calculations, and identifying weaknesses is a prerequisite, but the term describes the flaw, not the chance a threat agent acts on it.
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Control
Why it's wrong here
A control is a safeguard that reduces risk, not the probability of exploitation itself. It is tempting because controls directly modify risk exposure, so they appear in the same discussions; however, the stem defines the likelihood of harm, which is risk, not the countermeasure applied against it.
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Risk
Why this is correct
Risk is the term combining the likelihood that a threat exploits a vulnerability with the resulting harm to an asset, satisfying the stem's definition. Threat alone denotes the potential cause, vulnerability the weakness, and exposure the susceptibility, none of which express probability multiplied by impact.
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Threat
Why it's wrong here
A threat is the potential cause of harm, not the probability it exploits a weakness. It is tempting because threats combine with vulnerabilities to produce risk, and the stem mentions a threat exploiting a vulnerability; nonetheless, the probability of that event occurring is risk, not the threat actor or event.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Incident Response and Management
Key term
Likelihood
Likelihood is the estimated probability that a specific threat will exploit a vulnerability, causing harm to an IT asset or system.
Key term
Risk
Risk is the possibility that an event or action will negatively affect an organization's ability to achieve its goals, often measured in terms of likelihood and impact.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CC practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CC exam.