Which term is the value used to represent the portion of asset value lost due to a threat?

Which term is the value used to represent the portion of asset value lost due to a threat?

• A. Exposure Factor (EF)
• B. Magnitude of Impact (Risk Impact)
• C. Single Loss Expectancy (SLE)
• D. Return on Investment (ROI)

Answer: (A)

Exposure Factor represents the portion of an asset’s value that would be lost if a threat materializes. It’s expressed as a percentage or fraction of the asset’s value, indicating the impact of a single incident. For example, if an asset is worth $100,000 and the Exposure Factor is 0.25, the loss from one event would be $25,000 (100,000 × 0.25). This value is used to compute Single Loss Expectancy, since SLE = Asset Value × Exposure Factor. Understanding EF helps distinguish it from other terms: Magnitude of Impact is a broader measure of overall effect, SLE is the monetary loss for one incident, and ROI is a financial metric used for evaluating investments, not the direct loss from a threat.