Written by Threat modeling is really just a fancy way of saying: “Let’s think about what could go wrong with our software in advance, so we can stop it before it happens.”
When we build applications, most of us usually think about features, speed, and usability. Threat modeling adds another viewpoint: security. Instead of waiting for attackers to find weaknesses, we imagine them ourselves.
The Four Question Frame
I like to use The Four Question Frame for Threat Modeling by Adam Shostack. It’s such a great way to start a conversation, without being overly complex or intimidating.
- What are we working on?
- What can go wrong?
- What are we going to do about it?
- Did we do a good job?
Although you can dive very deep, and follow more thorough methodologies, I usually suggest people start here. Threat modeling doesn’t have to be scary or extremely time consuming—it’s basically just structured brainstorming with security at top of mind.
Book a one hour meeting, as someone to bring an architecture diagram and/or a data flow diagram, some paper and pens, and start asking questions. Write down all of the potential threats, then go through them one at a time and write down ideas on how to prevent them. At the end, agree on which fixes you will do, and which ones you won’t, and then document it. This is a very simple way to start threat modeling. You can build up from here.
What about Privacy?
I always try to weave privacy into threat modelling conversations. It’s not just about keeping attackers out—it’s about respecting the people who use our software. Ask yourself: What personal data are we collecting? Do we really need it? How are we protecting it? By folding privacy into your threat modeling, you’re not only reducing risk, you’re also building trust with your users. Try not to forget privacy. 😀
Threat modeling helps teams build more secure, resilient applications without needing to become security experts. It’s about making security part of how we build, not something we tack on at the end.
