Application Security - Threats, Attacks, Vulnerabilities, and Countermeasures

Threats, Attacks, Vulnerabilities, and Countermeasures

According to the patterns & practices Improving Web Application Security book, the following terms are relevant to application security:

• Asset. A resource of value such as the data in a database or on the file system, or a system resource.
• Threat. A negative effect.
• Vulnerability. A weakness that makes a threat possible.
• Attack (or exploit). An action taken to harm an asset.
• Countermeasure. A safeguard that addresses a threat and mitigates risk.