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Application & OT Security · Intermediate

Four Question Framework

Adam Shostack's threat modeling structure: What are we working on, what can go wrong, what are we going to do about it, and did we do a good job?

Definition

The four questions map to modeling the system, identifying threats, planning mitigations and validating the work. They are endorsed by the Threat Modeling Manifesto and are method-agnostic, so any technique (STRIDE, attack trees, kill chains) can answer 'what can go wrong'.

Example

A team runs a 45-minute design session structured around the four questions for a new feature.

Exam tip

Use the four questions as a quick check that a threat model includes validation, not just threat lists.

Related terms