Episode 192: Risk Appetite, Tolerance, and Thresholds (Domain 5)

Every organization must decide how much risk it is willing to accept in pursuit of its goals—and this decision informs every security investment, policy, and control. In this episode, we break down the concepts of risk appetite (what you’re willing to pursue), risk tolerance (what you’re willing to withstand), and risk thresholds (the hard lines that should not be crossed). We explore how these values differ across business units and change over time depending on market conditions, leadership decisions, or regulatory pressure. Risk appetite must be clearly defined and communicated, or else teams may act inconsistently—either over-securing low-risk areas or underestimating critical vulnerabilities. Establishing and enforcing thresholds allows organizations to trigger alerts, escalate decisions, or automatically block risky activity when limits are breached. When risk acceptance is guided by strategy—not guesswork—security becomes aligned, efficient, and defensible.

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