IT assets are the resources that support the organization’s business processes and objectives, such as hardware, software, data, and information. IT assets are the primary targets of IT risk, as they may be exposed to threats, vulnerabilities, and control deficiencies that could compromise their confidentiality, integrity, availability, or value. Therefore, identifying and classifying IT assets is the first step in developing relevant IT risk scenarios, as it helps to determine the scope, boundaries, and dependencies of the IT risk environment.
The other options are not the first things to review for identifying IT risk scenarios. Technology threats (A) are the potential sources of harm or damage to IT assets, such as natural disasters, cyberattacks, human errors, or sabotage. Technology threats are important to consider, but they are not the starting point for IT risk scenarios, as they depend on the context and characteristics of the IT assets. Security vulnerabilities © are the weaknesses or flaws in IT assets or controls that could be exploited by threats, such as outdated software, misconfigured systems, or insufficient encryption. Security vulnerabilities are also important to identify, but they are not the first thing to review, as they are specific to the IT assets and their configurations. IT risk register (D) is a document that records and tracks the identified IT risks, their analysis, evaluation, and response. IT risk register is a result of the IT risk assessment process, not an input to it.
