Threat Modeling is a systematic process to identify, evaluate, and mitigate security threats in systems, applications, and business processes before they are exploited.

What is Threat Modeling?

Threat Modeling is a proactive security methodology that enables identification of potential threats, evaluation of their probability and impact, and design of appropriate security controls during design and development phases.

Threat Modeling Objectives

Proactive Identification

  • Threats: Identify threats before implementation
  • Vulnerabilities: Detect design vulnerabilities
  • Risks: Evaluate security risks
  • Controls: Design appropriate security controls

Design Improvement

  • Security by design: Integrate security from the start
  • Secure architecture: Design secure architectures
  • Effective controls: Implement effective controls
  • Cost-benefit: Optimize control cost-benefit

Risk Management

  • Prioritization: Prioritize threats by risk
  • Mitigation: Develop mitigation strategies
  • Monitoring: Establish threat monitoring
  • Response: Prepare incident response

Threat Modeling Methodologies

STRIDE

  • Spoofing: Identity spoofing
  • Tampering: Data tampering
  • Repudiation: Action repudiation
  • Information Disclosure: Information disclosure
  • Denial of Service: Denial of service
  • Elevation of Privilege: Privilege escalation

PASTA (Process for Attack Simulation and Threat Analysis)

  1. Define objectives: Define business objectives
  2. Define scope: Define technical scope
  3. Application: Decompose application
  4. Threat analysis: Analyze threats
  5. Vulnerabilities: Identify vulnerabilities
  6. Attacks: Simulate attacks
  7. Impact analysis: Analyze impact

OCTAVE (Operationally Critical Threat, Asset, and Vulnerability Evaluation)

  • Phase 1: Build organizational threat profile
  • Phase 2: Identify critical infrastructure
  • Phase 3: Develop security strategies

Trike

  • Data model: Model data and assets
  • Threat model: Model threats
  • Risk model: Model risks
  • Analysis: Analyze risks

Threat Modeling Process

Phase 1: Scope Definition

  • System: Define system to analyze
  • Boundaries: Establish system boundaries
  • Assets: Identify critical assets
  • Stakeholders: Identify stakeholders

Phase 2: System Modeling

  • Diagrams: Create system diagrams
  • Components: Identify components
  • Data flows: Map data flows
  • Interfaces: Identify interfaces

Phase 3: Threat Identification

  • Threats: Identify potential threats
  • Attackers: Identify attacker profiles
  • Vectors: Identify attack vectors
  • Scenarios: Develop attack scenarios

Phase 4: Threat Evaluation

  • Probability: Evaluate threat probability
  • Impact: Evaluate threat impact
  • Risk: Calculate risk level
  • Prioritization: Prioritize threats

Phase 5: Mitigation

  • Controls: Design security controls
  • Implementation: Plan implementation
  • Verification: Verify effectiveness
  • Monitoring: Establish monitoring

Threat Modeling Tools

Microsoft Threat Modeling Tool

  • Characteristics: Free Microsoft tool
  • Features: Diagrams, STRIDE analysis
  • Application: Applications and systems
  • License: Free

OWASP Threat Dragon

  • Characteristics: OWASP open source tool
  • Features: Diagrams, threat analysis
  • Application: Web applications
  • License: Open source

IriusRisk

  • Characteristics: Commercial platform
  • Features: Complete threat management
  • Application: Large enterprises
  • License: Commercial

ThreatModeler

  • Characteristics: Commercial platform
  • Features: Modeling automation
  • Application: Large enterprises
  • License: Commercial

Threat Model Elements

Architecture Diagrams

  • DFD: Data Flow Diagrams
  • Architecture: Architecture diagrams
  • Network: Network diagrams
  • Application: Application diagrams

Attacker Profiles

  • External: External attackers
  • Internal: Internal attackers
  • Privileged: Privileged users
  • Partners: Business partners

Critical Assets

  • Data: Sensitive data
  • Systems: Critical systems
  • Services: Critical services
  • Infrastructure: Critical infrastructure

Security Controls

  • Preventive: Preventive controls
  • Detective: Detective controls
  • Corrective: Corrective controls
  • Compensatory: Compensatory controls

Threat Types

Technical Threats

  • Injection: Code injection
  • Authentication: Authentication bypass
  • Authorization: Authorization bypass
  • Cryptography: Cryptographic failures

Business Threats

  • Fraud: Financial fraud
  • Espionage: Industrial espionage
  • Sabotage: System sabotage
  • Extortion: Cyber extortion

Operational Threats

  • Errors: Human errors
  • Malware: Malicious software
  • Phishing: Phishing attacks
  • Social Engineering: Social engineering

Use Cases

Software Development

  • Web applications: Web application modeling
  • Mobile applications: Mobile application modeling
  • APIs: API modeling
  • Microservices: Microservices modeling

Infrastructure

  • Networks: Network modeling
  • Cloud: Cloud infrastructure modeling
  • IoT: IoT device modeling
  • OT: OT systems modeling

Business Processes

  • Critical processes: Critical process modeling
  • Workflows: Workflow modeling
  • Integrations: Integration modeling
  • Automation: Automation modeling

Best Practices

Process

  1. Early start: Start in design phase
  2. Iterative: Iterative and continuous process
  3. Multidisciplinary: Involve multiple disciplines
  4. Documented: Document completely
  5. Updated: Keep updated

Implementation

  1. Tools: Use appropriate tools
  2. Methodology: Follow consistent methodology
  3. Training: Train the team
  4. Integration: Integrate with existing processes
  5. Improvement: Continuous improvement

Threat Modeling Benefits

Organizational

  • Risk reduction: Security risk reduction
  • Cost-benefit: Cost-benefit optimization
  • Compliance: Better regulatory compliance
  • Reputation: Reputation protection

Technical

  • Secure design: More secure design
  • Architecture: Better security architecture
  • Controls: More effective controls
  • Monitoring: Better monitoring

Commercial

  • Competitiveness: Competitive advantage
  • Trust: Greater customer trust
  • Innovation: Innovation capability
  • Growth: Growth support

References

Glossary

  • STRIDE: Spoofing, Tampering, Repudiation, Information Disclosure, Denial of Service, Elevation of Privilege
  • PASTA: Process for Attack Simulation and Threat Analysis
  • OCTAVE: Operationally Critical Threat, Asset, and Vulnerability Evaluation
  • DFD: Data Flow Diagram
  • API: Application Programming Interface
  • IoT: Internet of Things
  • OT: Operational Technology
  • CVE: Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures
  • CVSS: Common Vulnerability Scoring System
  • OWASP: Open Web Application Security Project