Audit risk refers to the risk that auditors fail to qualify their audit report when the financial statements are materially misleading, i.e., do not provide a true and fair view. Audit risk is comprised of three components: inherent risk, control risk, and detection risk.
The risk that an auditor fails to detect any material misstatements in the financial statements. Unlike control risk and inherent risk, the level of detection risk can be controlled by the auditor through varying the nature, timing, and extent of audit procedures.
