Historically, the internet has not been designed with security in mind. Connecting this huge network of computers, servers etc on a massive global scale was achieved via the prioritisation of speed and growth. Hence, security has tradtionally been applied as an afterthought and this is the reason why the internet is inherently insecure. Threat modeling is a relatively new security concept that evolved out a desire to fix this issue by prioritising security. Its core idea is that systems should be built with security in mind and thus create a network application, system/architecture that is more resilient to threat agents of all types. I work with ITS(Information Technology Services) in partnership with the Enterprise Architecture Team(in IT Strategy, Policy and Planning) and Operational Security in IT Services.
This project aimed to produce a process that allows enterprise architects to design with security in mind. The motivation for the project is twofold. First, it allows security teams and architects to gain insight into the latent threats and vulnerabilities present in an architecture design via threat modeling. Second, it improves the architectural process. The use of threat modeling early in the design stages allows vulnerabilities to be addressed early on and enables amendments to the design where necessary. The consequences of faults in designs found after deployment are inherently difficult and expensive to fix. I tested the results of threat modeling against a solution architecture design called the Final Grading Tool(FGT). I then used the "conventional security methods" results as the baseline for comparison. The FGT is responsible for the delivery of students grades from lecturers to the exam office to Students Services Online. Grades are the lifeblood of the university and it is vital that they are kept safe from attackers.