OCTAVE Method
What is OCTAVE Method?
OCTAVE MethodAn information-security risk-assessment methodology developed by the CMU Software Engineering Institute that focuses on organizational and operational risk to critical assets.
OCTAVE (Operationally Critical Threat, Asset, and Vulnerability Evaluation) is a family of risk-assessment methodologies developed by Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute (CERT). It encompasses the original OCTAVE for large organizations, OCTAVE-S for small organizations, and OCTAVE Allegro, the streamlined modern variant focused on information assets. OCTAVE is asset-centric: organizations identify critical information assets, threat scenarios, areas of concern, and protection strategies in a self-directed workshop-driven process. Unlike highly quantitative frameworks, OCTAVE is qualitative and emphasises business context, ownership, and organizational risk tolerance, and is often combined with NIST SP 800-30 and ISO 27005 in regulated industries.
● Examples
- 01
A hospital running an OCTAVE Allegro workshop on the electronic health record system to drive its risk-treatment plan.
- 02
Using OCTAVE-S to assess risk for a small manufacturer with limited security staff.
● Frequently asked questions
What is OCTAVE Method?
An information-security risk-assessment methodology developed by the CMU Software Engineering Institute that focuses on organizational and operational risk to critical assets. It belongs to the Compliance & Frameworks category of cybersecurity.
What does OCTAVE Method mean?
An information-security risk-assessment methodology developed by the CMU Software Engineering Institute that focuses on organizational and operational risk to critical assets.
How does OCTAVE Method work?
OCTAVE (Operationally Critical Threat, Asset, and Vulnerability Evaluation) is a family of risk-assessment methodologies developed by Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute (CERT). It encompasses the original OCTAVE for large organizations, OCTAVE-S for small organizations, and OCTAVE Allegro, the streamlined modern variant focused on information assets. OCTAVE is asset-centric: organizations identify critical information assets, threat scenarios, areas of concern, and protection strategies in a self-directed workshop-driven process. Unlike highly quantitative frameworks, OCTAVE is qualitative and emphasises business context, ownership, and organizational risk tolerance, and is often combined with NIST SP 800-30 and ISO 27005 in regulated industries.
How do you defend against OCTAVE Method?
Defences for OCTAVE Method typically combine technical controls and operational practices, as detailed in the full definition above.
What are other names for OCTAVE Method?
Common alternative names include: OCTAVE, OCTAVE Allegro.
● Related terms
- compliance№ 936
Risk Management
The coordinated process of identifying, analyzing, evaluating, treating, monitoring, and communicating risks to keep them within an organization's defined tolerance.
- appsec№ 1150
Threat Modeling
A structured analysis that identifies the assets, threats, vulnerabilities and mitigations of a system so security can be designed in rather than bolted on.
- compliance№ 801
PASTA Threat Model
Process for Attack Simulation and Threat Analysis, a seven-stage risk-centric threat-modeling methodology that aligns technical threats with business impact.
- defense-ops№ 136
Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
A structured analysis that identifies critical business processes, their dependencies, and the operational, financial and reputational impact of their disruption.