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Cloud-based Threat Modeling vs Traditional Threat Modeling

August 31, 2021

Introduction

Cyber-attacks have become a significant concern for organizations worldwide. Insecure web applications can lead to data breaches, causing huge losses. Traditional threat modeling techniques for web applications have been effective in addressing security issues. However, with the increase in cloud-based software and infrastructure, traditional threat modeling has become less effective. This is where cloud-based threat modeling comes in as a potential solution to cloud security issues. In this blog, we will compare cloud-based and traditional threat modeling techniques for cloud security, and provide some statistics and references to support our findings.

Traditional Threat Modeling

Traditional threat modeling involves identifying and evaluating risks to a system or application, followed by an assessment of the level of risk associated with each identified threat. This is usually done by considering potential threats to each component of an application and then estimating the likelihood of an attack occurring. While traditional threat modeling is widely used and effective, some of its limitations are:

  • Time-consuming and resource-intensive
  • May not consider all possible threats
  • Can generate unrealistic assessments of threats

Cloud-Based Threat Modeling

Cloud-based threat modeling is an approach to threat modeling that focuses specifically on cloud-based applications and infrastructure. This approach utilizes automated tools to identify potential risks and address security concerns during the development phase.

Cloud-based threat modeling provides the following advantages over traditional modeling:

  • Agile and scalable method
  • Identifies and addresses risks in real-time
  • More comprehensive coverage of threats
  • Offers continuous monitoring capabilities

Comparison

To provide a clearer comparison between cloud-based and traditional threat modeling, we have compiled some numbers and statistics:

  • According to Ponemon Institute, in 2020, the average cost of a data breach rose to $3.86 million, with malicious attacks being the leading cause of data breaches. (Reference: IBM Security Ponemon Institute 2020)
  • Traditional threat modeling can take up to 2-4 weeks to examine a single application, whereas cloud-based threat modeling can perform a full assessment in as little as two hours. (Reference: Microsoft Threat Modelling for Applications)
  • Traditional threat modeling has a limited approach for identifying and addressing security risks. In contrast, cloud-based threat modeling can quickly identify new risks with the use of machine learning algorithms. (Reference: Amazon Cloud Security)

Conclusion

In conclusion, traditional threat modeling and cloud-based threat modeling each have unique advantages and disadvantages. While traditional modeling provides a comprehensive approach to assess potential security risks, it can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. On the other hand, cloud-based threat modeling offers agile and scalable approaches to identify and address risks in near real-time. With the increase in cloud-based software and infrastructure, it is becoming increasingly clear that cloud-based threat modeling is the way to go for effective cloud security.

References

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