An ad hoc, per-application threat modeling practice is a good start. After all, bringing secure coding considerations into the application design process makes creating secure, functional products on tight agile time frame much more efficient. Over the years, ad hoc threat modeling has demonstrated its value to organizations from an AppSec perspective. However, attempting to manage organizational risk with the outputs of traditional threat modeling is rather like trying to fly across the ocean by flapping your arms while running toward the water. On the other hand, enterprise threat modeling quantifies risk for the CISO in real-time.
Enterprise Threat Modeling Quantifies Risk for CISOs
Naturally, threat modeling provides secure coding requirements to application architects while new projects are in the design phase. Ideally, the threat modeling tool used will provide more to the development team than an enumeration based on six or so general threat categories. ThreatModeler™, for example, identifies specific threats – based on the latest real-world threat intelligence – and associates each identified threat with a particular source. Also, ThreatModeler™ provides a checklist of security requirements that will mitigate the identified threats. No guesswork, no miscommunications between security experts and developers. Just role-based actionable output built upon the latest threat intelligence.
Moreover, as may be expected from a mature threat modeling practice and supporting tool, the security team will receive actionable outputs that will make their job and function more effectual. ThreatModeler™, for example, provides security personnel with the capacity to trace threats to their origin across the entire DevOps portfolio, create a real-time rolling list of top-ten threats, and – of course – the ability to repeatedly translate incoming threat intelligence into consistent and concrete outputs at whatever scale the organization requires.
Benefits Beyond Secure Initial Coding
Notwithstanding the benefits to DevOps and security teams, though, enterprise threat modeling quantifies risk through multiple venues. It is, in fact, one of the primary advantages of a mature threat modeling practice. Enterprise threat modeling yields data on the organization’s real-time risk profile. ThreatModeler™ provides actionable quantification of the organization’s risk profile with
- A data exposure report that allows the CISO to view the entire IT environment from the perspective of potential attackers. With this report the CISO can monitor the exposure level of the organization’s high-value targets to potential attack, providing real-time inputs for the organization’s ERM team.
- Analyze and track the organization’s comprehensive attack surface as DevOps projects are deployed, new threats are added to the cyber ecosystem, and security initiatives are implemented. ThreatModeler™ is the first threat modeling platform that not only incorporates web and mobile applications into the attack surface analysis but also on-premises and cloud-based infrastructures, IoT and mobile devices, even industrial control systems.
- Dynamic what-if analysis of implemented or planned compensating controls to quantify their effectiveness relative to the organization’s attacker population. Understanding the threats which a compensating control mitigates yields tremendous value to the CISO for planning cost-effective mitigation and risk management. ThreatModeler™ allows users to dynamically place compensating control representations within current threat models to determine exactly which threats will be mitigated by the modeled control.
When you want to create secure initial coding, threat model your applications during the design phase. However, when you want quantifiable data and trackable results for your risk management initiatives, consider that ThreatModeler’s enterprise threat modeling quantifies risk with actionable outputs for the CISO.
Click here to learn more about how ThreatModeler™ quantifies your risk management initiatives.