<!-- Copyright (c) 2026 defconxt. All rights reserved. -->
<!-- Licensed under AGPL-3.0 — see LICENSE file for details. -->
---
name: implementing-continuous-risk-monitoring
description: >-
  Build continuous risk monitoring platforms that aggregate threat intelligence, vulnerability data, compliance status, and business context into real-time risk scores. Covers risk register automation, KRI dashboards, risk appetite thresholds, and integration with GRC platforms.
domain: cybersecurity
subdomain: governance-risk-compliance
tags:
  - continuous-monitoring
  - risk-management
  - KRI
  - risk-register
  - GRC
  - risk-scoring
version: "1.0"
author: defconxt
license: AGPL-3.0
compatibility: Designed for Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, OpenAI Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, and any agentskills.io-compatible agent.
metadata:
  nist-csf:
  - "ID.RA-1"
  - "ID.RA-5"
  - "ID.RA-6"
  - "DE.CM-8"
  - "GV.RM-1"
  frameworks:
  - "NIST SP 800-137"
  - "NIST RMF"
  - "ISO 31000"
  - "FAIR"
  mitre-attack: []
---

# Implementing Continuous Risk Monitoring

## Overview

Continuous risk monitoring shifts from periodic risk assessments to real-time
risk visibility. By aggregating vulnerability scanners, threat intelligence feeds,
compliance engines, and business impact data, organizations maintain a living risk
register with automated KRI tracking and threshold-based alerting.

## Workflow

1. **Risk Taxonomy Definition** — Establish organizational risk categories, scoring methodology, and appetite thresholds
2. **Data Source Integration** — Connect vulnerability scanners, threat intel feeds, CMDB, and compliance tools
3. **Risk Scoring Engine** — Implement weighted scoring combining likelihood, impact, and control effectiveness
4. **Risk Register Automation** — Auto-populate risk register from integrated data sources with deduplication
5. **KRI Dashboard Deployment** — Build Key Risk Indicator dashboards with trend analysis and heatmaps
6. **Threshold Alerting** — Configure risk appetite breach notifications to risk owners and executives
7. **Reporting Automation** — Generate board-level risk reports and regulatory submissions automatically
8. **Continuous Calibration** — Tune scoring weights and thresholds based on realized losses and near-misses

## Key Concepts

### Risk Scoring Framework

| Factor | Weight | Data Source | Scale |
|--------|--------|-------------|-------|
| Threat Likelihood | 30% | Threat intel feeds | 1-5 |
| Vulnerability Severity | 25% | Scanner CVSS scores | 1-5 |
| Asset Criticality | 20% | CMDB business impact | 1-5 |
| Control Effectiveness | 15% | Compliance engine | 1-5 |
| Exposure Window | 10% | Patch management data | 1-5 |

### Key Risk Indicators (KRIs)

| KRI | Threshold | Frequency | Owner |
|-----|-----------|-----------|-------|
| Mean Time to Patch (Critical) | < 15 days | Daily | Vuln Mgmt |
| Unresolved Critical Findings | < 5 | Weekly | CISO |
| Phishing Click Rate | < 5% | Monthly | Security Awareness |
| Third-Party Risk Score | > 700 | Weekly | Vendor Risk |
| Privileged Account Growth | < 5%/quarter | Quarterly | IAM |
| Overdue Risk Acceptances | 0 | Monthly | Risk Committee |

### Risk Appetite Matrix

| Risk Category | Appetite | Tolerance | Capacity |
|--------------|----------|-----------|----------|
| Operational | Medium | 3 high-rated risks | $5M annual loss |
| Regulatory | Low | 0 critical findings | License revocation |
| Reputational | Low | 1 public incident/year | Brand damage threshold |
| Strategic | Medium | Defined per initiative | Board-approved |
| Financial | Medium | 2% revenue impact | Insurance coverage |

## Detection Opportunities

### Risk Monitoring Anomalies

- **Score spike**: sudden risk score increase indicates emerging threat or control failure
- **KRI breach**: threshold violation requires immediate risk owner notification
- **Trend divergence**: risk score trend deviating from industry benchmarks
- **Stale assessments**: risk entries not updated within defined review cycles
- **MITRE mapping**: T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing App), T1133 (External Remote Services), T1078 (Valid Accounts)


## Quick Reference

```bash
node scripts/agent.js analyze --target <scope>
```
