What is the purpose of creating a "threat model" in cybersecurity?

The purpose of creating a "threat model" in cybersecurity fundamentally revolves around identifying and assessing potential threats and vulnerabilities that could impact an organization’s assets. By constructing a threat model, security professionals can systematically analyze the possible risks associated with their systems, including understanding who might attack them, what assets need protection, and the methods an adversary might use to exploit those assets.

This process involves evaluating both the likelihood of various threats occurring and the potential impact on the organization should such threats materialize. This insight is crucial for prioritizing security measures and allocating resources effectively, ensuring that the most significant risks are addressed first.

In contrast to the other choices, training staff on incident response, developing encryption algorithms, and establishing a help desk system do not directly focus on assessing potential risks and vulnerabilities. While these activities are important facets of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, they serve different purposes and do not directly provide the detailed risk evaluation that a threat model aims to achieve.