About Me
CompTIA Security+
1 Threats, Attacks, and Vulnerabilities
1-1 Types of Threats
1-2 Types of Attacks
1-3 Vulnerabilities
1-4 Threat Actors and Motives
1-5 Threat Intelligence
1-6 Incident Response
1-7 Penetration Testing
1-8 Vulnerability Scanning
1-9 Threat Modeling
1-10 Security Controls
2 Technologies and Tools
2-1 Firewalls
2-2 Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)
2-3 Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS)
2-4 Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
2-5 Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
2-6 Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR)
2-7 Endpoint Security
2-8 Network Security
2-9 Cloud Security
2-10 Mobile Device Security
2-11 Secure Coding Practices
2-12 Cryptography
2-13 Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
2-14 Certificate Management
2-15 Security Tools and Utilities
3 Architecture and Design
3-1 Security Models
3-2 Security Controls
3-3 Secure Network Design
3-4 Secure Systems Design
3-5 Secure Application Design
3-6 Secure Cloud Architecture
3-7 Secure Mobile Architecture
3-8 Secure IoT Architecture
3-9 Secure Data Storage
3-10 Secure Backup and Recovery
3-11 Security in DevOps
3-12 Security in Agile Development
3-13 Security in Continuous IntegrationContinuous Deployment (CICD)
3-14 Security in Configuration Management
3-15 Security in Identity and Access Management (IAM)
4 Identity and Access Management
4-1 Authentication Methods
4-2 Authorization Mechanisms
4-3 Identity and Access Management (IAM) Concepts
4-4 Single Sign-On (SSO)
4-5 Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
4-6 Federation
4-7 Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
4-8 Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)
4-9 Identity as a Service (IDaaS)
4-10 Identity Lifecycle Management
4-11 Access Reviews and Audits
4-12 Privileged Access Management (PAM)
4-13 Identity Federation
4-14 Identity Provisioning and Deprovisioning
5 Risk Management
5-1 Risk Management Concepts
5-2 Risk Assessment
5-3 Risk Mitigation Strategies
5-4 Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
5-5 Risk Register
5-6 Risk Treatment
5-7 Risk Monitoring and Reporting
5-8 Risk Appetite and Tolerance
5-9 Risk Communication
5-10 Risk Transfer
5-11 Risk Acceptance
5-12 Risk Avoidance
5-13 Risk Reduction
5-14 Risk in Cloud Environments
5-15 Risk in Mobile Environments
5-16 Risk in IoT Environments
6 Cryptography and PKI
6-1 Cryptographic Concepts
6-2 Symmetric Encryption
6-3 Asymmetric Encryption
6-4 Hashing
6-5 Digital Signatures
6-6 Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
6-7 Certificate Management
6-8 Certificate Authorities (CAs)
6-9 Certificate Revocation
6-10 Key Management
6-11 Cryptographic Protocols
6-12 Cryptographic Attacks
6-13 Quantum Cryptography
6-14 Post-Quantum Cryptography
6-15 Cryptographic Use Cases
7 Security Operations
7-1 Security Operations Concepts
7-2 Security Policies and Procedures
7-3 Security Awareness and Training
7-4 Security Monitoring and Logging
7-5 Incident Response
7-6 Forensics
7-7 Disaster Recovery
7-8 Business Continuity
7-9 Physical Security
7-10 Personnel Security
7-11 Supply Chain Security
7-12 Third-Party Risk Management
7-13 Security Audits and Assessments
7-14 Compliance and Regulatory Requirements
7-15 Security Metrics and Reporting
7-16 Security Operations Center (SOC)
7-17 Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR)
7-18 Security in DevOps
7-19 Security in Agile Development
7-20 Security in Continuous IntegrationContinuous Deployment (CICD)
1.9 Threat Modeling Explained

1.9 Threat Modeling Explained

Key Concepts

Threat modeling is a structured approach to identifying, evaluating, and mitigating potential threats to a system or application. It involves understanding the system's architecture, identifying potential attack vectors, and prioritizing risks based on their impact and likelihood.

Steps in Threat Modeling

Threat modeling typically follows a series of steps to ensure a comprehensive analysis:

1. Define the Scope

Determine the boundaries of the system or application to be analyzed. This includes identifying the assets that need protection and the stakeholders involved.

2. Decompose the Application

Break down the system into its components, including data flows, entry points, and trust levels. This helps in understanding how data moves through the system and where potential vulnerabilities might exist.

3. Identify Threats

Use threat modeling frameworks like STRIDE (Spoofing, Tampering, Repudiation, Information Disclosure, Denial of Service, Elevation of Privilege) to identify potential threats. Each category represents a different type of security risk.

4. Assess Risks

Evaluate the identified threats based on their potential impact and likelihood of occurrence. This helps in prioritizing which threats need immediate attention.

5. Mitigate Threats

Develop strategies to mitigate the identified threats. This can include implementing security controls, updating policies, or enhancing monitoring and detection mechanisms.

Examples and Analogies

To better understand threat modeling, consider the following examples:

Example: E-commerce Website

For an e-commerce website, the scope might include the web application, database, and payment gateway. Decomposing the application reveals data flows from user input to payment processing. Identifying threats using STRIDE might reveal risks like SQL injection (Tampering) or unauthorized access to customer data (Information Disclosure). Assessing risks helps prioritize SQL injection as a high-impact threat, leading to mitigation strategies such as input validation and secure coding practices.

Example: Corporate Network

In a corporate network, the scope could include servers, workstations, and network devices. Decomposing the network shows data flows between departments and external connections. Identifying threats might reveal risks like unauthorized access to sensitive data (Elevation of Privilege) or denial of service attacks (Denial of Service). Assessing risks helps prioritize unauthorized access, leading to mitigation strategies such as role-based access controls and multi-factor authentication.

Conclusion

Threat modeling is a critical process for understanding and mitigating potential security risks in a system or application. By following a structured approach, organizations can identify and address vulnerabilities before they are exploited, thereby enhancing their overall security posture.

© 2024 Ahmed Baheeg Khorshid. All rights reserved.