What is the process used to determine the order in which individual controls will be assessed?

The process used to determine the order in which individual controls will be assessed is primarily known as the risk assessment process. In this context, risk assessment involves identifying potential risks, threats, and vulnerabilities to an organization’s assets and determining how to prioritize the controls to mitigate these risks effectively.

In practice, risk assessment captures the critical factors that impact which controls need immediate evaluation based on the level of risk associated with each control. This includes considering the potential impact of different risks on the organization and which controls can most effectively reduce those risks.

While vulnerability assessment focuses on identifying specific vulnerabilities within an organization's systems or processes, it does not inherently establish the priority for assessing controls. Instead, it is part of the broader risk assessment process, which sets the backbone for determining how to allocate resources towards evaluating and implementing controls. Therefore, risk assessment is foundational in guiding the systematic order of control evaluations based on risk prioritization strategies.