Risk is the undesirable outcome or eventuality resulting from an eventuality. Security risk management involves the guarding of assets from perils caused by intentional actions. Vulnerability assessment may be described as the identification of weaknesses in infrastructure security. The ways in which risks can be lessened include; risk transfer, risk retention, and risk acceptance. Risk transfer would also be referred to as risk sharing which involves the inclusion of another party in the handling of your risk. Risk transfer would involve the insurance of the assets or the sub-contracting of projects so as to reduce the extent of the peril (Bullock, J. A., Haddow, G. D., & Coppola, D. P. 2012).
The Homeland Security Department has in the resent times carried out surveys and vulnerability assessments on critical infrastructure. The department issues its protective advisors to make contact with owners and operators of high priority critical infrastructure and key resources to offer to conduct surveys and assessments (Bullock, J. A., Haddow, G. D., & Coppola, D. P. 2012). It is therefore important for the assessment to be required by law.
In a report by the Government Accountability office (GAO), found out in two 2195 surveys and 655 vulnerability assessments conducted during the fiscal years from 2009 through to 2011, about 135 surveys and 44 vulnerability assessments matched while another 106 surveys and 23 assessments were equally potential matches for high priority facilities (Rausand, M. 2013). The other high priority facilities could not be matched because there were inconsistencies in the way data was recorded in the two data bases.
The streamlining of then vulnerability programs would enable each of the risk based groups created by CFATS strive to achieve the risk based performance standards guidance provided by the Department of Homeland Security (Rausand, M. 2013). This would facilitate the achievement of the critical infrastructure information act of 2002 that seeks to enhance greater sharing of critical infrastructure information among operators and owners, thereby reducing the country’s vulnerability to terrorism.
References
Bullock, J. A., Haddow, G. D., & Coppola, D. P. (2012). Introduction to homeland security: Principles of all-hazards risk management. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Rausand, M. (2013). Risk Assessment: Theory, Methods, and Applications. Hoboken: Wiley.
