What is OPSEC originating from the U.S. military?

The concept of OPSEC (Operations Security) originally originated from the U.S. military to protect sensitive information during military operations, and has since been widely used in other fields to protect sensitive data and information. In the digital era, OPSEC has become more important in protecting personal privacy and data security.

What is OPSEC?

OPSEC is a strategy for managing and protecting sensitive information with the core objective of reducing risk by identifying potential threats, analyzing vulnerabilities, and taking action. It is commonly used in the military, intelligence, government and commercial sectors to ensure that sensitive information within an organization is not exploited by unauthorized individuals, competitors or other potential adversaries.

OPSEC consists of the following 5 main processes:

1. Identify critical information

Determine what information may be of value to an adversary, including the organization's goals, plans, and personnel.

2. Analyze potential threats

Evaluate the capabilities of the adversary to anticipate possible threats.

3. Vulnerability analysis

Discover vulnerabilities in the protection of sensitive information, such as information leakage pathways, and ensure that sensitive information is shared only among necessary personnel to prevent unauthorized access.

4. Risk assessment

Determine the threat level for each identified vulnerability. Companies rank risks based on factors such as the likelihood of a particular attack occurring and the degree of disruption such an attack would have on operations. The higher the risk, the more urgent the need to implement risk management.

5. Taking countermeasures

Formulate countermeasures to minimize risks, regularly check the effectiveness of protection measures, and continuously improve and enhance the OPSEC process.