Abstract:By review of relevant literatures, the main points and trends of critical infrastructure vulnerability assessment are stated, which involve the basis, the background, the evaluation path, evaluation system framework and the contents. Supported by system vulnerability analysis, as a part of risk assessment, critical infrastructure vulnerability assessment is the failure mode analysis of elements and entire system based on threats identification. With the in-depth analysis of infrastructure systems, based on the decomposition as ‘system - subsystem – element’, the assessment path of critical infrastructure vulnerability can be concluded as from threats scenario analysis and judgment of damage status to comprehensive score. As for the frame formation of assessment system, it can be divided into two paths – form . Because of continuous combining of the two paths, four-dimension assessment system framework was formed, and which is the basis of assessment contents system. The assessment contents include geological conditions and decay, infrastructure obsolescence, location and internal structure, interdependencies, disruptive threats, policy and political environment, protection and safeguard, capacity and availability.