Threat Modeling for Small Teams in 60 Minutes

Threat modeling doesn't have to be a weeks-long process. With a structured approach, a small development or operations team can complete a high-value session in about an hour.

Identify assets and boundaries

Start by listing the critical assets or components your application or system touches, such as databases, customer data, APIs, and infrastructure services. Sketch a simple data flow diagram on a whiteboard or digital tool that shows how information flows between these components.

Brainstorm threats

Use a framework like STRIDE to quickly generate potential threats: Spoofing identity, Tampering with data, Repudiation, Information disclosure, Denial of service and Elevation of privilege. Think about malicious actors or failures that could exploit vulnerabilities in your architecture, and jot down as many ideas as possible.

Assess risk and prioritize

For each identified threat, estimate the likelihood and impact. High‑impact, high‑likelihood threats should get priority. You don’t need precise numbers; rough rankings will help focus your time on what matters most.

Design mitigations

Discuss ways to reduce or eliminate each high-priority threat. Consider technical controls like authentication, encryption, input validation, rate limiting, logging and monitoring, and process controls like code reviews and incident response runbooks. Write down proposed mitigations and assign owners to follow up.

Wrap up and iterate

Summarize the agreed-upon actions and next steps. Assign tasks and due dates. Threat models should evolve: revisit them regularly, integrate them into your software development lifecycle and update diagrams as the system changes.

By dedicating just 60 minutes, small teams can uncover critical security gaps, prioritize fixes and build a culture of proactive security.