STRIDE

STRIDE helps teams identify and analyze potential security threats in software systems. The method addresses various threat types such as Spoofing, Tampering, Repudiation, Information Disclosure, Denial of Service, and Elevation of Privilege.

Use this profile to understand the building block briefly, place it in the model, and switch to the 360° assessment when needed.

Content type

Method

Executable approach: can be applied and produces an outcome.

Classification level

Structure

What organizes, connects, or makes decisions possible.

Available perspectives

Open this building block directly in an already curated view.

360°

In brief

STRIDE – in brief

STRIDE is a software threat-modeling framework that systematically checks six common threat classes: spoofing, tampering, repudiation, information disclosure, denial of service, and elevation of privilege.

Where does it come from?

Microsoft developed STRIDE in the late 1990s as a reasoning framework for software threat modeling. Its name combines six recurring security properties that guide questions about system elements and data flows.

The mental model

View the system as data flows crossing trusted and less-trusted boundaries. For each element, ask whether someone could spoof an identity, tamper with data, repudiate an action, disclose information, deny a service, or elevate privileges. Then assess the findings and connect them to mitigations.

Key building blocks

Threat classes

Six categories provide recurring security questions for an analysis.

Trust boundaries

Data flows across trust boundaries show where threats may arise.

Mitigations

Identified threats are addressed with technical or organizational measures.

When is it useful?

STRIDE helps development teams structure security risks early and traceably. It provides a complete question set, but it does not assess risk automatically and does not replace domain expertise, testing, or security architecture.

Microsoft Learn: Threat modeling Microsoft Security: STRIDE