There is an old saying — prevention is better than cure.
This is especially true in the field of cybersecurity, where cyber threat modelling plays a crucial role. Reactive and passive cyber defences have long had difficulty keeping up with cyber criminals. According to statista, the global cost of cybercrime is set to rise significantly over the next four years from USD 9.22 trillion in 2024 to USD 13.82 trillion by 2028. It is evident that firms need to include cyber resilience into their cybersecurity strategy. One of the most important pillars of this shift is cyber threat modelling.
How Cyber Threat Modelling and Penetration Testing go hand-in-hand?
Cyber threat modelling is a crucial process for identifying potential threats targeting an organisation's networks and systems. It provides insights into operational risks, forming the foundation for effective risk mitigation. As outlined in NIST 800-154, this process involves defining systems and data requiring protection, prioritising attack paths, assessing the effectiveness of current security measures, and refining the model for comprehensive security coverage.
Red Piranha utilises world-leading cyber threat intelligence to evaluate risks from various perspectives. Key factors include identifying attackers (who), their targets (what), methods (how), and motivations (why).
For instance, if an organised crime group targets a bank’s online platform for financial gain. Mitigations such as enhancing authentication protocols or deploying Crystal Eye XDR can offer comprehensive protection. This unified platform secures the organisation from the cloud to the endpoint, addressing immediate vulnerabilities and strengthening resilience against future attacks. Additionally, considering "when" threats might occur aids in developing robust incident response strategies, enhancing overall preparedness.
This is why cyber threat modelling and penetration testing must go hand in hand. By combining the proactive identification of potential threats with rigorous testing of system defences, organisations can create a robust and comprehensive security posture.
On one hand, threat modelling provides the identification of potential threats to assess risks across systems and networks of an organisation. It drives priorities to the most critical assets and vulnerabilities and aligns defences with specific threat scenarios.
Penetration testing goes a step further to validate the efficacy of these defences through simulated attacks emulating the tools and techiniques of real-world adversaries. Provided that identified threat models are linked to penetration testing, organisations can realistically know their security posture and readiness.
This approach would pair strengthening the immediate defences concerning known vulnerabilities with enhanced resilience against unknown threats and evolving attack vectors. Together, cyber threat modelling and penetration testing ensure that risks are kept very minimal and the path to organisational assets and data integrity is safeguarded against breaches.
Why Red Piranha When it comes to Cyber Threat Modelling?
Red Piranha stands at the forefront of innovation and resilience with its approach to threat modelling. Red Piranha sets the industry standard with its top-tier Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) Services. As a CREST Certified organisation, Red Piranha boasts a team of seasoned experts benchmarked against global standards.
Red Piranha's emphasis on threat modelling aligns perfectly with the principles outlined by industry leaders like Gartner, who advocate for “minimum effort, maximum efficiency” approaches when it comes to cybersecurity. By offering not just vulnerability management but also security advisory services, Red Piranha empowers organisations to reduce risk effectively while optimising resources for maximum control over potential threats.
It integrates human-machine teaming to assess vulnerabilities accurately and prioritise them based on their potential impact and likelihood of exploitation. This ensures that cybersecurity efforts are strategically aligned with protecting critical assets and mitigating real-world threats effectively.
Threat modelling is a critical cybersecurity technique that Red Piranha employs to strengthen the Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) processes. It is all about systematically identifying and prioritising potential threats to clients' systems and applications by envisioning how attackers might exploit vulnerabilities.
To integrate threat modelling effectively into VAPT, Red Piranha starts with thorough preparation and planning.
- We define clear objectives for both threat modelling and VAPT, focusing on identifying threats, assessing risks, and evaluating existing controls. Gathering comprehensive system information, including architecture diagrams, data flow diagrams (DFDs), and current security measures, is essential at this stage.
- During threat modelling, we identify critical assets and potential entry points vulnerable to threats. We use frameworks like STRIDE (Spoofing, Tampering, Repudiation, Information Disclosure, Denial of Service, Elevation of Privilege) to systematically uncover threats.
- Next step is to assess vulnerabilities such as software bugs, misconfigurations, or weak passwords to understand their potential for exploitation by identified threats. This assessment helps us prioritise mitigation efforts based on the likelihood and impact of each threat.
- Integrating threat modelling with vulnerability assessment allows us to map identified threats to vulnerabilities found in the system.
- Risk assessments guide us in prioritising vulnerabilities based on their potential impact. During penetration testing, we simulate real-world attacks, focusing on the threat scenarios identified during modelling to realistically assess the strength of our defences.
- After conducting penetration tests, we meticulously analyse and report our findings, correlating them with our initial threat model.
- This process helps us identify realised threats and develop targeted mitigation strategies. These strategies may include patching vulnerabilities, implementing secure coding practices, or enhancing monitoring capabilities.
- Continuous review and updates to our threat model and penetration testing processes are crucial to adapting to new threats and changes in our systems.
For example, consider an online banking application. The objective is to secure the application by identifying and mitigating potential threats and vulnerabilities. Information gathering can include collecting architecture diagrams, DFDs, and details about the technologies used.
During the threat modelling process, Red Piranha identifies critical assets (customer data, financial transactions, authentication credentials) and entry points (login page, account management, transaction page, APIs).
Using models like STRIDE, we pinpoint threats such as spoofing, tampering, repudiation, information disclosure, denial of service, and elevation of privilege access. We assess vulnerabilities like weak passwords, SQL injection, insecure APIs, and insufficient logging and monitoring, and evaluate associated risks.
We integrate threat modelling with vulnerability assessment by mapping threats to vulnerabilities, prioritising them based on impact. Penetration testing focuses on areas like SQL injection on transaction pages, password policies, and API security. Real-world attack simulations provide a realistic assessment.
After testing, we report our findings, confirm vulnerabilities, identify weak password policies, and insecure APIs. We then develop mitigation strategies, such as implementing parameterised queries, enforcing strong password policies, securing APIs, and enhancing logging and monitoring.
We regularly review and update the threat model and VAPT processes to include new attack vectors and conduct periodic VAPT to ensure ongoing security. Automated tools scan for new vulnerabilities, and CI/CD pipelines with security checks are implemented. This integration ensures proactive identification and mitigation of threats and vulnerabilities, strengthening security measures and safeguarding customer data.
Red Piranha’s rigorous testing methodology incorporates standards such as OSSTM, OWASP, PTES, and ISSAF. We provide an ordered remediation plan to focus resources on high-risk vulnerabilities. In addition, our ISO 27001 certification underscores our commitment to recognised cybersecurity frameworks.
Final Thoughts
While automated tools are incredibly useful in the initial detection of vulnerabilities, human expertise will always be required through threat modelling and penetration testing if the risk assessment and mitigation process is to be effectively implemented. Organisations can derive powerful cybersecurity postures that meet industry standards and various regulatory requirements from the combination of threat modelling and VAPT. Human-machine teaming enables optimum allocation of resources, better threat detection, and overall cybersecurity resilience.