Metrics and Methods for Security Risk Management

Chapter 2. The fundamentals of security risk measurements

The more complex the mind, the greater the need for simplicity of play. — Captain Kirk

“Shore Leave,” Star Trek, Stardate 3025.8

2.1. Introduction

Rigorously assessing security risk often involves understanding how certain physical quantities are affected by changes in parameters like time or distance. Physical quantities such as intensity and concentration are important concepts in security risk, and these underscore the inherently technical nature of security risk. Moreover, certain mathematical functions and representations are useful in characterizing these quantities and these are introduced in this chapter. The good news is that the breadth of terms, concepts, and elementary physical ...