The STRIDE Threat Model

Threat modeling is an organized approach used to find and list possible security threats like weaknesses or a lack of protective factors. Implementing threat modeling approaches must be the first step toward enhancing networks, technologies, and highly secure programs.

In this regard, STRIDE is a concept of risks that may get used as an approach to ensuring secure application architecture.

The topics below get covered in this article.

What is Threat Modeling?

Professionals can develop a viable strategy for dealing with a specific problem through threat modeling and security STRIDE methodology.

 

Defense and security teams can benefit from threat modeling. It provides an assessment of what security STRIDE methodology is needed based on the present data systems and threat scenario, the most probable attackers, their tactics, their reason for attacking, and the target system.

 

Threat modeling involves interaction between security engineers, security operations, network defenders, the security operations center, and the threat intelligence team to comprehend the different roles, duties, purposes, and difficulties.

Importance of Threat Modeling

The ultimate goal of a threat intelligence strategy is to discover, categorize, and prioritize security threats to achieve effective recording and communication. Threat modeling assists threat intelligence or security experts in accomplishing this goal. Effective threat intelligence reports assist the security defense and the security operations team in protecting information technology assets against security flaws and attacks.

What is STRIDE Threat Modeling?

Loren Kohnfelder and Praerit Garg created STRIDE in the late 1990s.

 

Teams can use the STRIDE threat model to identify potential dangers throughout the design phase of an application or system. The first stage assists in identifying potential risks by using a proactive strategy. The system’s design serves as the foundation for identifying potential risks. The following phases entail identifying the risks associated with how the system has been established and then trying to close vulnerabilities.

 

The STRIDE model strives to ensure that the software satisfies the requirements of the CIA trinity (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability). Its engineers established it to ensure that Windows software engineers considered security risks during the design process.

 

You should utilize the STRIDE model in conjunction with the target system network model. Develop this model simultaneously, including segmentation of operations, data structures, data flows, and quality attributes, among other things.

STRIDE: A Threat Modeling Methodology

The STRIDE model is becoming increasingly popular as a threat modeling technique. It is even getting employed by some of the largest names in the business. For starters, Microsoft STRIDE security uses the STRIDE architecture, which identifies different sorts of risks and makes the broader security discourse easier to understand.

 

The STRIDE acronym is discussed below.

Spoofing Identity

Hackers use identity spoofing to perpetrate fraud by impersonating another individual and using their personal information and data to commit fraud. An extremely prevalent example is when an email gets sent by a fake email account that appears to be coming from another person’s address. Typically, these emails ask for personally identifiable information. When a weak or naïve recipient delivers the necessary information, the hacker prepares to realize the new persona.

 

Fake identities can comprise both human and technical credentials, and you can use them in conjunction with one another. Spoofing allows a hacker to obtain access to a network through a single vulnerable identity, from which they may subsequently launch a much broader data breach.

Tampering with Data

When data or information gets modified without permission, this gets referred to as data tampering. A malicious person may be able to carry out tampering by altering a file system to acquire system control, uploading a malicious file, or wiping or editing file records.

 

Data tampering can be detected and prevented by incorporating change monitoring or file integrity monitoring (FIM) into the business processes. This procedure critically evaluates files compared to a benchmark of what an excellent file should appear to be. It is essential to have proper recording and archive to provide file monitoring.

Repudiation Threats

A malicious attacker who conducts an illegal or destructive activity in a system and then claims they had nothing to do with the attack gets known as a repudiation threat. In these attacks, the system cannot track malicious activity back to its source, making it impossible to identify the perpetrator.

 

Because only a few systems check outgoing messages for legitimacy, it is relatively simple to carry out repudiation attacks on email systems. The majority of these attacks start as access operations.

Information Disclosure

Information disclosure also gets referred to as information leaking. It occurs when the system or website accidentally divulges information to unauthorized users without the proper authorization. This threat might negatively influence the system’s implementation, data flow, and data stores. The unintended access to source code files via temporary backups, the unwanted disclosure of confidential data such as credit card details, and the disclosure of database information in error codes are all examples of information disclosure.

 

These problems are widespread, and they can emerge from various sources, including internal content made available to the public, unprotected application setups, and incorrect error replies in the application’s design.

Denial of Service

Valid users who get subjected to a Denial of Service or DoS attack get blocked from accessing information that they should be able to acquire. Affected areas of an application include the workflow, data flow, and data stores. Good thing that preventive systems are still efficient to use.

Elevation of Privileges

Valid users in the system can acquire access to information that they are not approved to see by elevating privileges. This attack could be as basic, or it could be as complex as data tampering to run non-authorized commands.

Summary

One reason for performing threat modeling is to have an objective perspective on the project. No threat modeling approach is perfect for every need. Choose the one that best fits your objectives. Threat modeling methodologies can get tailored to match your DevOps team’s needs.

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