Which of the following would be considered a security vulnerability?

A lack of laptop encryption is considered a security vulnerability because it exposes sensitive data to unauthorized access and breaches. When laptops that contain confidential information are not encrypted, anyone who gains physical access to these devices can easily read or steal the data without needing any special tools or skills. Encryption is a fundamental security measure that transforms data into a format that is unreadable without the appropriate decryption keys. This vulnerability is particularly significant in healthcare settings, where patient data needs to be protected in compliance with regulations such as HIPAA.

The other options, while they may present challenges or risks to an organization, do not directly relate to security vulnerabilities in the way that data protection and encryption do. For example, workforce employees are essential for operations and do not inherently create security risks; instead, they can be trained to follow security protocols. Natural disasters such as a tornado and infrastructure failures like an electrical outage relate more to operational risk and disaster recovery rather than specific vulnerabilities pertaining to data security.