What is the primary purpose of risk assessment in software security?

• A. Identifies and prioritizes risks by likelihood and impact.
• B. Implements patches immediately.
• C. Designs user interfaces.
• D. Monitors network traffic only.

Answer: (A)

Identifying and prioritizing risks by likelihood and impact is the main goal of risk assessment in software security. By systematically spotting potential threats and vulnerabilities and estimating how probable they are and how severe the consequences would be, you create a risk level for each issue. This ranked view helps you focus security efforts where they matter most, guiding decisions about what to fix, what controls to implement, and how to allocate limited resources effectively. Risk assessment is about understanding where the greatest dangers lie so remediation and safeguards can be targeted appropriately.

Patching right away is a remediation step that follows risk identification and prioritization, not the assessment itself. Designing user interfaces addresses usability and experience, not evaluating security risks. Monitoring network traffic is important for detection, but it does not encompass the process of identifying and ranking risks across the system.