Risk-Based Security Threat Modeling: 7-Step Process for Risk Analysis

VerSprite's Risk-Based PASTA Threat Model Incorporates Business Impact Analysis

PASTA - Process for Attack Simulation and Threat Analysis - is a risk-based threat modeling methodology that incorporates business impact analysis as an integral part of the process and expands cybersecurity responsibilities beyond the IT department.

This seven-step process for risk analysis aims to align business objectives with technical requirements while considering business impact analysis and compliance requirements. The output provides threat management, threat enumeration, and scoring.

The PASTA threat modeling methodology combines an attacker-centric perspective on potential threats with business risk and threat impact analysis. The outputs are asset-centric. Also, the method's risk and business impact analysis elevates threat modeling from a “software development only” exercise to a strategic business exercise by involving key decision-makers in the process.

This threat modeling methodology is geared towards organizations that wish to align threat modeling with strategic business objectives and centers around cyber threat mitigation as a business problem.