HHS 350: Categorizing Vulnerabilities In An Organization

Categorizing Vulnerabilities
Eddie Wilmore
Western International University
HHS 350
September 10 , 2006
Hollie Kopp Toppel

There are quite a few vulnerabilities that can affect organizations productivity. These vulnerabilities can be environmental, utilities & service, criminal behavior, equipment failure, and information security issues. To protect the organization against loss of productivity and data loss we have created an assessment of the potential danger each category of threat presents. We created a worksheet (located on the last page of this document) listing each type of vulnerability and ranked the probability and severity of each of the threats. Using a probability and severity legend that had one
The threat of earthquake is definitely present in the area. Schirber (2005) outlines the probability of this threat “Researchers have calculated a 20 to 70 percent probability that southern California will be hit by a large earthquake in the next 30years. The forecast is based on the frequency of past events.” We have assessed this threat and find its level to be a twenty five in terms of probability and severity which is the highest possible score, which makes this a high priority threat. The organization is located in a very hot, dry desert region which makes is susceptible to fire. The risk of fire got a rating of fifteen on our assessment making this a high priority threat. The risk of flood would not usually be considered a major threat in a dry area but we gave this threat a rating of fifteen making it a high priority threat. The risk of earthquakes in the area makes the organization susceptible to flood because earthquakes can break dams or levees along a river. The water from the river or the reservoir would then flood the area; damaging buildings. The threat of tornados received a twelve in our assessment making it a medium priority threat. We based this rating on the fact that the region averages about 20 tornadoes or water spouts per year according to the National Weather Service. The other environmental threats we analyzed were landslides, and hurricanes. Each of
Earthquakes can damage buildings by the shaking itself or by the ground beneath them settling to a different level than it was before the earthquake. This must be the first vulnerability that we will address for this category. A serious earthquake can destroy the building, produce flooding, and cause fire, etc… This will end client services within the building until the damage has been addressed. A fire can cause severe damage to the facility and equipment halting services provided to the clients. Tornados, floods, landslides, and hurricanes have the ability to damage the facility and equipment which would cause an inability for employees to perform their jobs and cause a disruption to the services provided to the