We continue to recommend that teams carry out threat modeling — a set of techniques to help you identify and classify potential threats during the development process — but we want to emphasize that this is not a one-off activity only done at the start of projects; teams need to avoid the security sandwich. This is because throughout the lifetime of any software, new threats will emerge and existing ones will continue to evolve thanks to external events and ongoing changes to requirements and architecture. This means that threat modeling needs to be repeated periodically — the frequency of repetition will depend on the circumstances and will need to consider factors such as the cost of running the exercise and the potential risk to the business. When used in conjunction with other techniques, such as establishing cross-functional security requirements to address common risks in the project's technologies and using automated security scanners, threat modeling can be a powerful asset.
With the number of high-profile security breaches in the past months, software development teams no longer need convincing that they must place an emphasis on writing secure software and dealing with their users' data in a responsible way. The teams face a steep learning curve, though, and the vast number of potential threats—ranging from organized crime and government spying to teenagers who attack systems "for the lulz"—can be overwhelming. Threat modeling provides a set of techniques that help you identify and classify potential threats early in the development process. It is important to understand that it is only part of a strategy to stay ahead of threats. When used in conjunction with techniques such as establishing cross-functional security requirements to address common risks in the technologies a project uses and using automated security scanners, threat modeling can be a powerful asset.
With the number of high-profile security breaches in the past months, software development teams no longer need convincing that they must place an emphasis on writing secure software and dealing with their users’ data in a responsible way. The teams face a steep learning curve, though, and the vast number of potential threats - ranging from organized crime and government spying to teenagers who attack systems 'for the lulz' can be overwhelming. Threat modeling provides a set of techniques, mostly from a defensive perspective, that help you understand and classify potential threats. Turned into 'evil-user stories', threat models can give a team a manageable and effective approach to making their systems more secure.
At this point the vast majority of development teams are aware of the importance of writing secure software and dealing with their users’ data in a responsible way. They do face a steep learning curve and a vast number of potential threats, ranging from organized crime and government spying to teenagers who attack systems 'for the lulz'. Threat modelingis a set of techniques, mostly from a defensive perspective, that help understand and classify potential threats. When turned into 'evil user stories' this can give a team a manageable and effective approach to making their systems more secure.
