An Ontological Analysis of Threat and Vulnerability

The overall goal of this paper is to provide a formal ontological analysis of threat. In particular, this paper discusses the formal ontological structure of threats as integrated wholes possessing three interrelated parts: intentions, capabilities and opportunities, and shows how these elements stand to one another, as well as to states of vulnerability. This discussion offers a means for understanding variations of threat conditions such as potential vs. viable threats and dispersed threats. A general, metaphysical, upper-level framework for the development of a formal threat ontology (ThrO) offers a necessary foundation for designing consistent and comprehensive models for threat prediction and mitigation