Create and Maintain Threat Models

tag: [Engineer/Developer, Security Specialist]

Creating and maintaining threat models help identify potential security risks and develop mitigation strategies to protect the project.

Steps to Create a Threat Model

1. Define the Scope

   • Identify the contract, system, application, or component to be analyzed.
   • Determine the boundaries and interfaces of the it.

2. Identify Assets

   • List all critical assets that need protection, such as funds, data, credentials, and infrastructure components.
   • Prioritize assets based on their importance and sensitivity.

3. Identify Threats

   • Use frameworks like STRIDE (Spoofing, Tampering, Repudiation, Information Disclosure, Denial of Service, Elevation of Privilege) to identify potential threats.
   • Consider various attack vectors and threat actors that could target the system.

4. Identify Vulnerabilities

   • Analyze the system for potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by threats.
   • Use vulnerability databases, past incident reports, and security assessments to identify common weaknesses.

5. Create Attack Scenarios

   • Develop detailed attack scenarios that describe how threats could exploit vulnerabilities to compromise assets.
   • Use diagrams and flowcharts to visualize the attack paths.

6. Evaluate and Prioritize Risks

   • Assess the likelihood and impact of each identified threat.
   • Prioritize risks based on their potential impact on the system and organization.

7. Develop Mitigation Strategies

   • Identify and implement controls to mitigate the identified risks.
   • Consider technical, administrative, and physical controls to reduce the risk.

8. Document the Threat Model

   • Create detailed documentation of the threat model, including all identified threats, vulnerabilities, attack scenarios, and mitigation strategies.
   • Use templates and standardized formats to ensure consistency.

Maintaining Threat Models

1. Regular Updates

   • Update the threat model regularly to reflect changes in the system, new threats, and emerging vulnerabilities.
   • Schedule periodic reviews to ensure the model remains current.

2. Continuous Monitoring

   • Implement continuous monitoring to detect changes in the threat landscape and system environment.
   • Use automated tools to monitor for new vulnerabilities and threats.

3. Collaboration

   • Foster collaboration between development, security, and operations teams to keep the threat model up to date.
   • Encourage feedback and contributions from all stakeholders.

4. Training and Awareness

   • Provide training for team members on threat modeling concepts and techniques.
   • Raise awareness about the importance of threat modeling in maintaining security.

Tools for Threat Modeling

1. Microsoft Threat Modeling Tool

   • A free tool that helps create threat models using the STRIDE framework.
   • Pros: Easy to use, integrates with Microsoft technologies.
   • Cons: Limited to Windows platforms.

2. OWASP Threat Dragon

   • An open-source threat modeling tool for creating diagrams and identifying threats.
   • Pros: Free, web-based, supports multiple platforms.
   • Cons: Limited features compared to commercial tools.