What is the term for items that serve as early indicators of potential risks or issues?

The term for items that serve as early indicators of potential risks or issues is known as "Key Risk Indicators" (KRIs). KRIs are specific metrics used by organizations to provide insight into potential risks that could impede the achievement of business objectives. By monitoring these indicators, organizations can proactively address issues before they escalate into significant problems.

Key Risk Indicators are essential in risk management frameworks because they help organizations identify trends and changes in risk levels. For instance, an increase in the number of failed system access attempts might indicate a rising security risk. As a proactive measure, organizations can then implement additional security controls or conduct further investigations based on the insights provided by these indicators.

In context, layered defenses refer to a security strategy involving multiple protective measures, the management plane is more about overseeing the operations within a cloud environment, and malware pertains to malicious software designed to harm devices or networks, which does not align with the concept of risk indicators.