Most people think of risk from the negative perspective, such as exposure to loss or managing an adverse event. However, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) definition of risk is the “effect of uncertainty on objectives.” In this case, the effect might be positive or negative.
Actual risks might vary between industries, but this standard definition applies to all, and each industry has both negative and positive risks. In the cybersecurity industry, negative risk refers to potential loss, and positive risk refers to potential gain of assets, knowledge, improvements, or data.
Project management and IT domains have adopted the strategy of evaluating positive risks in business reports and business decisions. However, the cybersecurity industry hasn’t yet adopted this as a common practice, and many risk-management methodologies continue to focus on negative risks. If they discuss positive risk at all, it’s only briefly.
