With computer security, a threat is the potential for a bad event to happen involving a business, computer, or network. A computer hacker attacking a company and stealing confidential information is an example of a threat.

Examples of threats to a computer

There are many natural and human-made threats that could affect a computer. Below is a list of some of them help give you an idea of potential dangers. Visiting any of these links gives you further information about the threat.

  • Accidental
  • Hardware failure
  • Exceeding storage capacity
  • Software error
  • Human error
  • Deliberate
  • Backdoor
  • Data leak
  • Denial of service
  • Dumpster diving and theft of confidential information.
  • Keylogging
  • Man-in-the-middle attack
  • Phishing
  • Social engineering
  • Spoofing
  • Virus, Trojan, spyware, and other malware infection.
  • Zero-day flaw
  • Environmental
  • Disaster: fire, seismic, volcanic, water.
  • Electrical: brownout, surge
  • Loss of service: power outage, cooling failure, loss of telecommunications.
  • Pollution: dirt, dust
  • Negligence
  • Neglecting maintenance

What is threat hunting?

Cyber threat hunting or threat hunting is the automatic or manual process of searching through computers in a network to find vulnerabilities or malware. Companies and services that offer this type of detection provide you with a list of potential threats with methods on how to protect against them.

  • Hardware failure

  • Exceeding storage capacity

  • Software error

  • Human error

  • Backdoor

  • Data leak

  • Denial of service

  • Dumpster diving and theft of confidential information.

  • Keylogging

  • Man-in-the-middle attack

  • Phishing

  • Social engineering

  • Spoofing

  • Virus, Trojan, spyware, and other malware infection.

  • Zero-day flaw

  • Disaster: fire, seismic, volcanic, water.

  • Electrical: brownout, surge

  • Loss of service: power outage, cooling failure, loss of telecommunications.

  • Pollution: dirt, dust

  • Neglecting maintenance

How can computer threats be measured?

Below are technical reports with more advanced information on assessing security risks.

  • NIST Guide for Conducting Risk Assessments
  • OCTAVE - Operationally Critical Threat, Asset, and Vulnerability Evaluation
  • FAIR - Factor analysis of information risk
  • ISO 31000 Risk Management

Bug bounty, Business terms, Computer security, Exploit, IETF, Intrusion detection system, Security terms, Threat actor, Vulnerability

  • How to protect yourself while on the Internet.
  • How to hack someone or something.
  • How to become a hacker.
  • How to know if a computer was hacked.
  • What should I do if I’ve been hacked?
  • Listing of computer hackers.
  • Computer security help and support.