The greater the value of the assets, the greater the potential loss. Threats can be people such as hackers, disgruntled employees, error-prone programmers, careless data entry operators, things such as unreliable hardware, or even nature itself such as earthquakes, floods, and lightning. Vulnerabilities are flaws in the protection of assets that can be exploited, partially or fully, by threats resulting in loss. Safeguards preclude or mitigate vulnerabilities. Managing risks involves not only identifying threats but also determining their impact and severity.
Some threats require extensive controls while others require few.
Certain threats, such as viruses and other computer crimes, have been highlighted through extensive press coverage, while other threats such as repeated errors by employees generally receive no publicity. Yet, statistics reveal that errors and omissions generally cause more harm than virus attacks. Resources are often expended on threats not worth controlling, while other major threats receive little or no control. Until managers understand the magnitude of the problem and the areas in which threats are most likely to occur, protecting vital computer resources will continue to be an arbitrary and ineffective proposition. LANs are primarily networks that come in many varieties and provide connectivity, directly or indirectly, to many mini and mainframe computers.