What do vulnerabilities expose an organization to?

When vulnerabilities are present within an organization's systems or processes, they create pathways for potential threats to emerge, particularly threats to information security. Such vulnerabilities can be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access, manipulate data, or disrupt services, leading to data breaches, loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information. This not only jeopardizes sensitive information but also undermines trust in the organization, potentially resulting in financial loss, reputational damage, and legal consequences.

While the other options may have validity in certain contexts, they do not directly capture the primary risk associated with vulnerabilities. Increased operational costs can occur as a consequence of dealing with the aftermath of security incidents, but they are not the immediate exposure linked to vulnerabilities themselves. Similarly, lack of employee productivity and regulatory compliance issues can also stem from security risks and vulnerabilities, but these are secondary effects rather than the direct threats to information security itself.