About Threat Modelling & the STRIDE Framework

Threat Modelling is a structured, proactive approach to security. Instead of waiting for vulnerabilities to be discovered in a finished product, we analyse the design of your system to predict how an attacker might try to compromise it. It answers the critical question: "What can go wrong?"

This process allows you to build security into the foundation of your application, making it fundamentally more resilient and secure. The framework we use for this analysis is STRIDE, a proven methodology developed by Microsoft.

What is STRIDE?

STRIDE is a mnemonic that categorises threats into six specific types. It provides a comprehensive lens through which our security experts, working alongside your architects and developers, can systematically brainstorm and identify potential security risks.

Overview of the STRIDE Categories

• S - Spoofing: This threat involves an attacker illegally impersonating another user, component, or system. Can an attacker pretend to be an administrator? Can they submit a request that looks like it came from another user?

• T - Tampering: This involves the malicious modification of data. Can an attacker intercept data in transit and alter it? Can they change a configuration file or modify data stored in a database to their advantage?

• R - Repudiation: This threat addresses a user's ability to deny performing an action when the system cannot prove otherwise. If a user makes a fraudulent transaction, can your system definitively prove they did it? Are your audit logs sufficient?

• I - Information Disclosure: This involves the exposure of sensitive information to individuals who are not authorised to see it. Can an attacker find a way to read private customer data? Do error messages leak internal system details?

• D - Denial of Service (DoS): This threat focuses on making a system or application unavailable to legitimate users. Can an attacker crash your service by sending it a malformed request? Can they exhaust a critical resource like memory or CPU?

• E - Elevation of Privilege: This involves an attacker gaining rights or permissions beyond what they are entitled to. Can a standard user find a flaw that allows them to perform actions reserved for administrators?

Build Security In, Don't Bolt It On

By analysing your application design through the lens of STRIDE, we help you shift from a reactive to a proactive security posture.

Collaborative Workshops Threat modelling is not a passive audit; it's a hands-on, collaborative workshop. Our security consultants facilitate a session with your architects, developers, and system owners. We diagram your system's architecture and data flows, then use the STRIDE framework to guide a structured brainstorming session.

Systematic & Structured Analysis Using a formal methodology like STRIDE ensures a thorough and repeatable process. We move beyond ad-hoc security reviews to a systematic analysis that covers a comprehensive range of potential attack vectors, ensuring no major threat category is overlooked.

Actionable Reporting & Deliverables You don't just get a discussion; you get a concrete plan. The key deliverables of our Threat Modelling Service include:

• Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs): Clear diagrams illustrating the architecture of your system and how data moves through it.

• Threat Register: A detailed list of all identified threats, categorised by STRIDE, with risk ratings based on potential impact and likelihood.

• Prioritised Mitigation Plan: A list of clear, actionable recommendations for your development team to implement, prioritised to address the most significant risks first.

Operate Confidently By identifying and mitigating security flaws at the design stage, you dramatically reduce the risk and cost of finding them in production. You can build and launch new services with the confidence that security was a foundational part of the development process.

Let our experts guide your team through a structured threat modelling process. Call us today or purchase online to schedule your workshop.