Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Mastering Your Certification!

The term that best describes the lack of protective measures against a potential threat is vulnerability. In the context of information security, a vulnerability is a weakness in a system, application, or network that could be exploited by a threat actor to gain unauthorized access or cause harm. This could include various forms of weaknesses, such as unpatched software, poor configurations, or inadequate security controls.

Understanding vulnerability is crucial because it highlights areas where an organization may be at risk due to insufficient defensive measures. Organizations assess vulnerabilities to implement appropriate mitigation strategies and to bolster their overall security posture.

Risk, on the other hand, pertains to the likelihood of a threat exploiting a vulnerability and resulting in a harmful event, while incident refers to an event that actually occurs, such as a security breach. Exposure generally relates to being open to potential harm but does not specifically indicate a lack of protective measures as vulnerability does.