When an organization assesses a new cloud provider before any security controls are confirmed, what specific type of risk is being measured at this initial stage?

The specific type of risk being measured at this initial stage, before any security controls are confirmed for a new cloud provider, is Inherent Risk. Inherent risk represents the level of risk that exists due to the nature of an activity, asset, or service itself, in the absence of any security controls or mitigating factors. It is the raw, unmitigated risk profile. When an organization assesses a new cloud provider at this stage, it is evaluating the potential for adverse events and their associated impact based purely on the characteristics of the service, the type of data that will be processed, and the provider's fundamental operational environment and business model, without factoring in any safeguards. For example, migrating highly confidential financial records to any third-party cloud service inherently carries a significant risk of unauthorized access or data loss, irrespective of encryption or access management controls that might be implemented later. This initial measurement considers the fundamental exposure to threats such as data breach, service disruption, or compliance failures, purely based on the decision to use that specific provider and its service offering. The assessment focuses on understanding the baseline risk profile before any efforts are made to reduce it through specific security configurations, policies, or compliance measures.