Audit risk is an important concept in modern audit theory. At present, with the intensification of market operation risks, the role of audit in socialist market supervision is becoming more and more prominent, and the audit risks are also increasing. How to strengthen audit risk management, effectively control and prevent audit risks and improve audit quality has attracted more and more attention from the audit industry and the whole society.

First, the characteristics of audit risk:

1. Audit risk is objective. Audit risk, whether caused by subjective or objective reasons, exists objectively as the risk itself. As long as the audit work is carried out, there will always be objective conditions for generating risks. No matter what measures are taken, the audit risk cannot be completely eliminated.

2. Audit risk is time-sensitive. Although the audit risk is objective and universal, as far as the audit risk of an audit is concerned, it will disappear with time.

3. Audit risk is widespread. Audit risk exists in all aspects of the whole audit process and runs through the whole audit work. Even after a certain period of time, there is still the possibility of risk.

4. Audit risk is accidental. Audit risk leads to great uncertainty of audit responsibility, and not all audit risks will lead to audit responsibility. Some audit risks may lead to audit responsibility, some audit risks will inevitably lead to audit responsibility, and even lead to litigation, while some audit risks may not necessarily lead to audit responsibility.

5. Audit risk is controllable. Audit risk cannot be completely eliminated, but it is not uncontrollable. As long as we strengthen risk awareness, pay enough attention and take various measures actively, we can effectively control, prevent and resolve risks and minimize them.

Second, the causes of audit risk

In recent years, with the development of economy, analyzing and studying the influencing factors of audit risk will help us to control and reduce audit risk. There are many factors affecting audit risk, both subjective and objective.

(1) Subjective factors are: 1, and auditors have a weak legal awareness. 2. The auditor's moral quality is poor. 3. The defects of the audit method itself. Modern audit is a sampling audit based on the sound internal control system of enterprises, and pursues the principle of combining cost and benefit, which are the premise of allowing certain audit risks. In sampling audit, auditors often give up a considerable part of sample data in order to obtain higher expected income at limited cost, which increases the difficulty of making correct audit conclusions. It is not surprising that there are mistakes in the audit results.

(2) The objective factors are:

(1) With the development of information technology and the upsurge of economic globalization, social and economic ties are getting closer and closer.