It is a planned method to determine and quantify the potential risks, like vulnerabilities or the absence of defense mechanisms. It also helps to determine the best security defenses. Threat modeling aims to provide security personnel and defenders with an understanding of the security measures needed based on current information systems as well as the threat landscape, including the most likely attack as well as their method of attack, motivation and the the target system.
The process of modeling threats involves collaboration among Security Architects, Security Operations, Network Defenders, SOC and the team of Threat Intelligence to be aware of each other’s roles and responsibilities, as well as their goals and issues.
The importance of threat modeling
Threat modeling can help threat intelligence analysts to identify how to classify, prioritize, and categorize threats in order to provide effective documentation and reporting which is the primary goal of a threat intelligence program. A reliable threat intelligence report assists the security defense team and security operations team safeguard IT assets from security threats and vulnerabilities.
Threat Modeling Methodologies
When implementing a threat modeling approach, it’s equally crucial to be aware of the differences in the method, approach and the goals. There are many models of cyber-threat modeling employed to enhance cybersecurity and intelligence methods. To ensure that threat intelligence is effective professionals in information security as well as cyber threat intelligence experts need to discern which one is aligned with their business’s specific goals and goals.
Here are the most popular threat modeling methods which are used to discover the threats that are threatening your IT assets:
STRIDE
STRIDE is a method of threat modeling that was developed by Loren Kohnfelder and Praerit Garg in 1999. It is designed to find weaknesses and threats to your product.
The word “STRIDE” is a mnemonic to describe the threat set – Repudiation, Tampering, Spoofing, Information Disclosure, Denial of Service (DoS), and the Elevation of Privilege.
The stages of the process for attack Assessment and Simulation (PASTA)
PASTA can be described as a seven-step approach to develop a method that simulates attacks to IT applications, and analyzing the nature of threats, their source and the risk they can pose to an organization and the best way to reduce the risks. The goal for this approach is to determine the threat, count the threats, and assign them an amount. With this approach it is possible for the company to determine the most appropriate countermeasures to be taken to reduce the threat.
TRIKE
The TRIKE open-source threat modeling technique that can be utilized when performing security audits from a risk-management perspective. The threat modeling of TRIKE is a combination of two models, namely the Requirement Model and the Implementations Model. The requirement model forms the foundation of TRIKE modeling which describes the security features in the IT system and gives acceptable levels of risk for every asset. The model also facilitates coordination between different security teams and other stakeholders by creating an idea of what the framework should be. Then comes an implementation plan. In this model it is an Data Flow Diagram (DFD) is developed to depict how data flows as well as the actions performed by users within the system. Within this framework, risks are identified and analyzed to assign a risk score. In this way, there are security measures or preventive measures are identified to tackle the threat according to the priority and risk assigned.
VAST
VAST (Visual Agile, Simplified Threat as well as Simple Threat) methodology is based upon automated threat analysis that encompasses the entire lifecycle of software development across the entire organization, with the an appropriate integration of instruments and collaboration important stakeholders, including architects, developers security experts, executives across the company.
DON’T LISTEN
The DREAD method is used to evaluate the risk, analyse, and calculate the risk’s probability by assessing the risks.
OCTAVE
OCTAVE (Operationally Critical Threat and Asset and Vulnerability Evaluation) is a method to determine, evaluate and manage the risks that could affect IT assets. The process is designed to identify the most critical aspects of security for information and the risks that could impact their security, confidentiality and accessibility. This allows them to understand what information is in danger and devise a security strategy to mitigate or eliminate the risk for IT assets.
