# Threat Source **Entity class:** Risk-engineering concept ## Definition A **threat source**, also called a threat agent, is the intent and method directed toward exploiting a vulnerability or a circumstance that may accidentally trigger one. NIST also includes a malicious person with harmful intent among threat sources. ## Relevance to this collection A [[wiki/Dangerous Individual|dangerous individual]] is most precisely a threat source when intent and method are directed toward exploitation. The person becomes part of a larger risk architecture involving [[wiki/Vulnerability|vulnerability]], [[wiki/Attack Path|attack path]], protected asset, and consequence. ## Relationships - **master collection:** [[collections/Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment|Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment]]. - **sociotechnical system:** [[wiki/Sociotechnical Attack Surface|Sociotechnical Attack Surface]]. ## Sources / Provenance - [NIST Computer Security Resource Center, “Threat Source” glossary](https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/threat_source) (accessed 2026-09-23). **As of:** 2026-09-23