| Aug 29, 2025
How Incorporating the CARVER Methodology into Vulnerability Assessments Reduces Risks for Businesses and Nonprofits

Businesses and nonprofits face mounting challenges in protecting their assets, personnel, and operations. Multinational corporations, Municipal Governments and elected officials, ethno-religious and community service organizations, private schools, manufacturing facilities, and up-and-coming tech companies all have physical infrastructure and/or operations that can be negatively impacted by a wide range of threats.
From cyber-attacks and physical threats to natural disasters and insider risks, organizations must develop comprehensive approaches to vulnerability assessment and risk mitigation. The CARVER methodology, originally developed for special operations targeting, has been adapted for use as a vulnerability assessment methodology and is used ubiquitously throughout the defense sector. CARVER offers a systematic framework that can dramatically enhance how civilian organizations – whether businesses or nonprofit – identify, prioritize, and address their most critical vulnerabilities.
Understanding the CARVER Framework in Security Vulnerability Assessments
CARVER stands for Criticality, Accessibility, Recuperability, Vulnerability, Effect, and Recognizability – six criteria that provide a structured approach to evaluating potential targets and vulnerabilities. This methodology helps organizations “assess and prioritize vulnerabilities for attack or protection” by providing quantifiable metrics for decision-making.
The framework operates on a scoring system where each criterion receives a numerical rating from 1 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater concern.
CARVER Criterion and Scoring System Adapted for Private Security
- Criticality: How essential is this asset to your organization’s core functions?
- Accessibility: How easily can adversaries/threats reach or target this vulnerability?
- Recuperability: How quickly can you recover if this asset is compromised?
- Vulnerability: How susceptible is this asset to various types of attack?
- Effect: What would be the impact on your organization and stakeholders?
- Recognizability: How easily can potential threats identify this as a target?
The Risk Management Integration
Security risk management generally follows a systematic five-step process that CARVER enhances significantly. As outlined in Army Techniques Publication (ATP) 5-19: Risk Management, the risk management steps include:
- Identify hazards
- Assess hazards
- Develop controls
- Implement controls
- Supervise and evaluate
The CARVER methodology strengthens the assessment phase by providing objective criteria for evaluating identified vulnerabilities.
This structured approach moves organizations beyond subjective assessments toward data-driven decision-making. Rather than relying on gut feelings about which assets need protection, CARVER scores create a clear priority matrix that guides resource allocation and strategic planning for businesses and nonprofit organizations.
U.S Department of Homeland Security Threat Assessment
The 2024 U.S. Department of Homeland Threat Assessment reveals the evolving nature of risks facing American businesses and nonprofit organizations. From nation-state cyber espionage and domestic violent extremists to climate-related disasters and supply chain disruptions, today’s threat environment requires comprehensive vulnerability assessment approaches.
The assessment notes that “terrorism, both foreign and domestic, remains a top threat in the U.S., but other threats are increasingly crowding the threat space.” This complexity requires organizations to look beyond traditional physical security concerns and consider:
- Cyber threats targeting critical infrastructure and sensitive data
- Physical security vulnerabilities at facilities and events
- Economic espionage and intellectual property theft
- Supply chain disruptions and dependencies
- Climate-related disasters and environmental hazards
Implementing CARVER into Your Organization’s Vulnerability Assessment
Step 1: Asset Identification and Cataloging
Begin by conducting a comprehensive inventory of your organization’s critical assets. This includes not just physical infrastructure, but also personnel, information systems, intellectual property, and key processes that enable your business or nonprofit to accomplish its mission.
Step 2: Threat Analysis Integration
Layer your CARVER assessment with current threat intelligence. Army Doctrine Publication (ADP) 3-37: Protection, emphasizes understanding the diverse and dynamic combination of regular threats, irregular threats, terrorist and extremist organizations, and criminal activities that might target or impact your organization.
Step 3: Scoring and Prioritization
Apply CARVER criteria systematically to each identified asset. Create matrices that allow leadership to visualize vulnerability priorities and make informed decisions about protective investments to enhance safety and security.
Step 4: Control Development and Implementation
Use CARVER scores to develop targeted risk controls. High-scoring vulnerabilities generally receive immediate attention and resource allocation, while lower-scoring items enter longer-term vulnerability mitigation planning.
Protection Integration and Continuous Assessment
Security must adhere to the Principles of Protection and be comprehensive, integrated, layered, redundant, and enduring. These principles apply directly to private sector businesses and nonprofits just as much as they apply to government infrastructure.
Your vulnerability assessment program should integrate multiple protection capabilities:
- Physical security measures including access controls and surveillance
- Cybersecurity and Information Security frameworks protecting digital assets and communications
- Personnel security including background investigations and security awareness training
- Emergency management capabilities for rapid response and recovery
- Continuity planning ensuring mission-essential functions continue despite disruptions
The Business Case for CARVER Implementation in Your Vulnerability Assessment
Organizations implementing structured vulnerability assessments to support their security programs see measurable improvements in risk posture and operational resilience. The methodology helps justify security investments by providing quantifiable metrics that leadership can understand and support.
CARVER assessments also support compliance with various regulatory frameworks and industry standards that require systematic risk management approaches. From nonprofit governance requirements to critical infrastructure protection mandates, structured vulnerability assessment demonstrates due diligence and professional risk management.
Building Resilient Organizations With CARVER
The CARVER methodology helps turn vulnerability assessments from an art into a science, providing the systematic framework organizations need to navigate today’s complex threat environment and generating support for your security program from key stakeholders. By incorporating these principles into comprehensive risk management programs, businesses and nonprofits can make informed decisions about protective investments and build genuine resilience against evolving threats.
Success requires treating vulnerability assessments as a continuous process that evolves with changing threats and organizational priorities. Risk management must be cyclical and continuous — and the same principle applies to civilian organizations seeking to protect their most critical assets and maintain mission capability in an uncertain world.
At Convoy Group, our special operations-trained security consulting team understands that implementing systematic vulnerability assessment methodologies like CARVER requires both specialized expertise and deep operational experience. Led by professionals with backgrounds in U.S. special operations, intelligence, and corporate security, we help organizations translate comprehensive risk assessments into actionable security strategies. Whether you are a Fortune 500 corporation, municipal government, nonprofit organization, or emerging business, our threat and security vulnerability assessment services leverage proven frameworks to identify critical assets, evaluate real-world risks, and develop tailored protective measures that enhance your organization’s resilience while supporting mission-critical objectives.