What does a risk heat map illustrate?

• A. Risks plotted by probability and impact to highlight significant risks
• B. A chronological list of incidents with costs
• C. A map of where risks are located geographically
• D. A catalog of all controls and their costs

Answer: (A)

Risk heat maps visualize how serious a risk is by placing each risk on a probability–impact matrix, often with color coding to flag high-risk items. This layout makes it easy to see which risks are significant at a glance and helps prioritize where mitigation efforts should go. It’s not about a timeline of incidents, a geographic map of risk locations, or a catalog of controls and their costs, so those options don’t capture the way a heat map concentrates on likelihood and potential impact to highlight priority risks.