STRIDE Threat Model

Details
Full Name

STRIDE Threat Modeling Framework

Also known as

STRIDE Threat Model, Microsoft STRIDE

Core Concepts:

Spoofing

Impersonating another user, process, or system to gain unauthorized access; mitigated by strong authentication

Tampering

Unauthorized modification of data in transit or at rest; mitigated by integrity controls, digital signatures, and access controls

Repudiation

Denying that an action was performed when it actually was; mitigated by audit logging and non-repudiation mechanisms

Information Disclosure

Exposing sensitive data to unauthorized parties; mitigated by encryption, access control, and data minimization

Denial of Service

Disrupting or degrading availability of a system or service for legitimate users; mitigated by rate limiting, redundancy, and resilience

Elevation of Privilege

Gaining capabilities or permissions beyond what is legitimately authorized; mitigated by least-privilege principles and authorization checks

Key Proponents

Loren Kohnfelder and Praerit Garg (Microsoft, 1999); popularized by Adam Shostack ("Threat Modeling: Designing for Security", 2014)

When to Use:

  • Performing structured threat modeling during software design and architecture reviews

  • Identifying and categorizing potential threats in security assessments

  • Training developers to think adversarially about system security

  • Prioritizing security controls and mitigations during system design

  • Conducting security design reviews and red-team exercises

  • Establishing a shared vocabulary for discussing security threats across teams