Introduction

  • 3 minutes

A threat-modeling framework helps you generate a list of potential threats and find ways to reduce or eliminate risk.

As long as you have a working knowledge of information security, the framework takes you through the major categories of threats to make sure they're tackled appropriately.

When to use the framework

You should apply this framework to every data-flow diagram created for a new or existing system.

Note

The goal is to find and fix as many issues early in the development lifecycle. The longer you wait, the greater the risk for your customers.

What to expect

The framework takes you through six major threat categories, with countless potential threats under each one.

Using the framework, you're able to answer questions like:

  • Are both sides of the communication authenticated?
  • How do I know someone can't change data in transit, in use, or at rest?
  • Can every action be tied to an identity?
  • How do I know someone can't see data in transit, in use, or at rest?
  • Are there areas in the system where resource is limited?
  • How do I know someone is allowed to take this action?

In this module, you learn about each threat category and its corresponding security controls.

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you're able to:

  • Discuss each threat category in the threat-modeling framework.
  • Learn about the security controls to help reduce or eliminate risk.

Prerequisites

  • None