Business Impact Categories

Category: Exposures & Threats

Each exposure may include a business impact assessment describing what could happen if the vulnerability is exploited:

Operational Disruption - Could disrupt business operations or service availability.
Reputation Damage - Could harm the organization's public image or brand trust.
Financial Losses - Could result in direct financial damage.
Legal and Regulatory Consequences - Could lead to compliance violations or legal liability.
Loss of Intellectual Property - Could expose proprietary information.
Intellectual Property Theft - Active theft of proprietary data or trade secrets.
Impact on Employee Productivity and Morale - Internal disruption affecting workforce.
Loss of Competitive Advantage - Strategic information leakage to competitors.
Long-Term Strategic Impact - Lasting damage to business strategy or market position.
Brand Loyalty and Customer Retention - Erosion of customer trust and loyalty.

Using Business Impact for Prioritization

Focus first on exposures with:

Financial Losses or Operational Disruption impact - these have the most immediate consequences
Legal and Regulatory Consequences - these carry compliance risk
Any impact category combined with Hijacked or Impersonated status

Updated on: 26/02/2026

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