What Is Threat Modeling?

Introduction

In the era of connected hardware and smart factories, “Quality” now includes Cybersecurity. A product that performs its function perfectly but is easily hackable is a defective product. Threat Modeling is a structured process used to identify, enumerate, and prioritize potential security threats from the perspective of an attacker.

By integrating Threat Modeling into the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) process, engineering teams move from “reacting to hacks” to “designing for resilience.”

The Core Objectives of Threat Modeling

The goal of a threat modeling session is to answer four fundamental questions:

1. What are we building? (Scope and architecture).
2. What can go wrong? (Identification of threats).
3. What are we going to do about it? (Mitigation strategies).
4. Did we do a good job? (Validation and quality check).

The STRIDE Methodology: A Framework for Discovery

One of the most common frameworks used in engineering quality to categorize threats is STRIDE, developed by Microsoft:

Why Threat Modeling Belongs in the Quality Chapter

Integrating security into Quality Management Systems (QMS) provides a holistic view of product excellence:

• Shift-Left Security: Just as we test for mechanical stress early, Threat Modeling identifies “architectural flaws” before a single line of code is written or a board is printed.
• Reduced Cost of Quality: It is 10-100 times cheaper to fix a security flaw during the design phase than it is to issue a security patch or a product recall after a breach.
• Compliance Alignment: Many quality standards (like ISO 21434 for automotive or IEC 62443 for industrial) now mandate formal threat assessments.

The Threat Modeling Process in PLM

1. Decompose the Application: Create data flow diagrams (DFDs) to see how information moves through the hardware and software.
2. Identify Threats: Use STRIDE or similar methods to find vulnerabilities.
3. Determine Mitigation: Decide if you will Eliminate the risk (change design), Mitigate it (add a firewall/encryption), or Accept it.
4. Trace to Requirements: Every mitigation becomes a Security Requirement in the PLM system.

How Visure Solutions Integrates Threat Modeling

Visure Requirements ALM Platform acts as the bridge between security analysis and engineering execution:

• Security Requirement Management: Turn the outputs of your Threat Modeling sessions into actionable, traceable requirements that are assigned to developers and engineers.
• Risk-Based Traceability: Link identified threats directly to the components they affect. If a component is changed, Visure alerts you that the threat model needs to be re-evaluated.
• Automated Verification: Link security test cases (like penetration tests) to the mitigations defined in your threat model to ensure the “fix” actually works.
• Standard Compliance: Visure’s templates help you document Threat Modeling in accordance with cybersecurity standards, ensuring your quality audit includes security evidence.

Conclusion: Designing for the “Worst Case”

Threat Modeling is the ultimate expression of proactive quality. It requires engineers to think like attackers to protect their customers. In a world where physical safety often depends on digital security, a robust threat model is the most important “quality certificate” a modern product can have.

With Visure, security is not a silo; it is integrated into your digital thread. We provide the tools to ensure that your products are not only functional and reliable but also inherently secure from the first sketch to the final deployment.

Check out the 14-day free trial at Visure and experience how AI-driven change control can help you manage changes faster, safer, and with full audit readiness.