STRIDE Analysis Patterns
Systematic threat identification using the STRIDE methodology.
When to Use This Skill
- Starting new threat modeling sessions
- Analyzing existing system architecture
- Reviewing security design decisions
- Creating threat documentation
- Training teams on threat identification
- Compliance and audit preparation
Core Concepts
1. STRIDE Categories
S - Spoofing → Authentication threats
T - Tampering → Integrity threats
R - Repudiation → Non-repudiation threats
I - Information → Confidentiality threats
Disclosure
D - Denial of → Availability threats
Service
E - Elevation of → Authorization threats
Privilege
2. Threat Analysis Matrix
| Category | Question | Control Family |
|---|---|---|
| Spoofing | Can attacker pretend to be someone else? | Authentication |
| Tampering | Can attacker modify data in transit/rest? | Integrity |
| Repudiation | Can attacker deny actions? | Logging/Audit |
| Info Disclosure | Can attacker access unauthorized data? | Encryption |
| DoS | Can attacker disrupt availability? | Rate limiting |
| Elevation | Can attacker gain higher privileges? | Authorization |
Templates
Template 1: STRIDE Threat Model Document
# Threat Model: [System Name]
## 1. System Overview
### 1.1 Description
[Brief description of the system and its purpose]
### 1.2 Data Flow Diagram
[User] --> [Web App] --> [API Gateway] --> [Backend Services] | v [Database]
### 1.3 Trust Boundaries
- **External Boundary**: Internet to DMZ
- **Internal Boundary**: DMZ to Internal Network
- **Data Boundary**: Application to Database
## 2. Assets
| Asset | Sensitivity | Description |
|-------|-------------|-------------|
| User Credentials | High | Authentication tokens, passwords |
| Personal Data | High | PII, financial information |
| Session Data | Medium | Active user sessions |
| Application Logs | Medium | System activity records |
| Configuration | High | System settings, secrets |
## 3. STRIDE Analysis
### 3.1 Spoofing Threats
| ID | Threat | Target | Impact | Likelihood |
|----|--------|--------|--------|------------|
| S1 | Session hijacking | User sessions | High | Medium |
| S2 | Token forgery | JWT tokens | High | Low |
| S3 | Credential stuffing | Login endpoint | High | High |
**Mitigations:**
- [ ] Implement MFA
- [ ] Use secure session management
- [ ] Implement account lockout policies
### 3.2 Tampering Threats
| ID | Threat | Target | Impact | Likelihood |
|----|--------|--------|--------|------------|
| T1 | SQL injection | Database queries | Critical | Medium |
| T2 | Parameter manipulation | API requests | High | High |
| T3 | File upload abuse | File storage | High | Medium |
**Mitigations:**
- [ ] Input validation on all endpoints
- [ ] Parameterized queries
- [ ] File type validation
### 3.3 Repudiation Threats
| ID | Threat | Target | Impact | Likelihood |
|----|--------|--------|--------|------------|
| R1 | Transaction denial | Financial ops | High | Medium |
| R2 | Access log tampering | Audit logs | Medium | Low |
| R3 | Action attribution | User actions | Medium | Medium |
**Mitigations:**
- [ ] Comprehensive audit logging
- [ ] Log integrity protection
- [ ] Digital signatures for critical actions
### 3.4 Information Disclosure Threats
| ID | Threat | Target | Impact | Likelihood |
|----|--------|--------|--------|------------|
| I1 | Data breach | User PII | Critical | Medium |
| I2 | Error message leakage | System info | Low | High |
| I3 | Insecure transmission | Network traffic | High | Medium |
**Mitigations:**
- [ ] Encryption at rest and in transit
- [ ] Sanitize error messages
- [ ] Implement TLS 1.3
### 3.5 Denial of Service Threats
| ID | Threat | Target | Impact | Likelihood |
|----|--------|--------|--------|------------|
| D1 | Resource exhaustion | API servers | High | High |
| D2 | Database overload | Database | Critical | Medium |
| D3 | Bandwidth saturation | Network | High | Medium |
**Mitigations:**
- [ ] Rate limiting
- [ ] Auto-scaling
- [ ] DDoS protection
### 3.6 Elevation of Privilege Threats
| ID | Threat | Target | Impact | Likelihood |
|----|--------|--------|--------|------------|
| E1 | IDOR vulnerabilities | User resources | High | High |
| E2 | Role manipulation | Admin access | Critical | Low |
| E3 | JWT claim tampering | Authorization | High | Medium |
**Mitigations:**
- [ ] Proper authorization checks
- [ ] Principle of least privilege
- [ ] Server-side role validation
## 4. Risk Assessment
### 4.1 Risk Matrix
IMPACT
Low Med High Crit
Low 1 2 3 4
L Med 2 4 6 8 I High 3 6 9 12 K Crit 4 8 12 16
### 4.2 Prioritized Risks
| Rank | Threat | Risk Score | Priority |
|------|--------|------------|----------|
| 1 | SQL Injection (T1) | 12 | Critical |
| 2 | IDOR (E1) | 9 | High |
| 3 | Credential Stuffing (S3) | 9 | High |
| 4 | Data Breach (I1) | 8 | High |
## 5. Recommendations
### Immediate Actions
1. Implement input validation framework
2. Add rate limiting to authentication endpoints
3. Enable comprehensive audit logging
### Short-term (30 days)
1. Deploy WAF with OWASP ruleset
2. Implement MFA for sensitive operations
3. Encrypt all PII at rest
### Long-term (90 days)
1. Security awareness training
2. Penetration testing
3. Bug bounty program
Template 2: STRIDE Analysis Code
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from enum import Enum
from typing import List, Dict, Optional
import json
class StrideCategory(Enum):
SPOOFING = "S"
TAMPERING = "T"
REPUDIATION = "R"
INFORMATION_DISCLOSURE = "I"
DENIAL_OF_SERVICE = "D"
ELEVATION_OF_PRIVILEGE = "E"
class Impact(Enum):
LOW = 1
MEDIUM = 2
HIGH = 3
CRITICAL = 4
class Likelihood(Enum):
LOW = 1
MEDIUM = 2
HIGH = 3
CRITICAL = 4
@dataclass
class Threat:
id: str
category: StrideCategory
title: str
description: str
target: str
impact: Impact
likelihood: Likelihood
mitigations: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)
status: str = "open"
@property
def risk_score(self) -> int:
return self.impact.value * self.likelihood.value
@property
def risk_level(self) -> str:
score = self.risk_score
if score >= 12:
return "Critical"
elif score >= 6:
return "High"
elif score >= 3:
return "Medium"
return "Low"
@dataclass
class Asset:
name: str
sensitivity: str
description: str
data_classification: str
@dataclass
class TrustBoundary:
name: str
description: str
from_zone: str
to_zone: str
@dataclass
class ThreatModel:
name: str
version: str
description: str
assets: List[Asset] = field(default_factory=list)
boundaries: List[TrustBoundary] = field(default_factory=list)
threats: List[Threat] = field(default_factory=list)
def add_threat(self, threat: Threat) -> None:
self.threats.append(threat)
def get_threats_by_category(self, category: StrideCategory) -> List[Threat]:
return [t for t in self.threats if t.category == category]
def get_critical_threats(self) -> List[Threat]:
return [t for t in self.threats if t.risk_level in ("Critical", "High")]
def generate_report(self) -> Dict:
"""Generate threat model report."""
return {
"summary": {
"name": self.name,
"version": self.version,
"total_threats": len(self.threats),
"critical_threats": len([t for t in self.threats if t.risk_level == "Critical"]),
"high_threats": len([t for t in self.threats if t.risk_level == "High"]),
},
"b