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OWASP Threat Modeling Cheat Sheet

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  id: resource.owasp-threat-modeling-cheat-sheet

OWASP Threat Modeling Cheat Sheet

Source

Summary

The OWASP Threat Modeling Cheat Sheet describes threat modeling as a structured way to identify, communicate, and address security design concerns. It stresses understanding data flows, trust boundaries, components, assets, assumptions, and threats before selecting mitigations. It uses STRIDE as an illustrative method, while noting that other methods may also apply.

Relevant Findings

  • Threat modeling should start with the system design, data flows, and trust boundaries.
  • Data flow diagrams are a common way to reason about where data moves and where trust changes.
  • STRIDE categories can help identify threats systematically.
  • The output should connect threats to mitigations and security requirements.
  • Missing trust boundaries or unclear assumptions are themselves threat-model findings.

HELIX Usage

This resource informs the Threat Model artifact. HELIX uses it to keep threat modeling grounded in assets, data flows, trust boundaries, assumptions, prioritized threats, and mitigations that can flow into security design and tests.

Authority Boundary

This resource supports application threat modeling. It does not replace project-specific compliance analysis, security requirements, penetration testing, or operational incident response.