Tuesday 4 March 2014

Book Review: "Threat Modeling: Designing For Security"

Ben Rothke reviews Adam Shostack's new book:
"When it comes to measuring and communicating threats, perhaps the most ineffective example in recent memory was the Homeland Security Advisory System; which was a color-coded terrorism threat advisory scale. The system was rushed into use and its output of colors was not clear or intuitive. What exactly was the difference between levels such as high, guarded and elevated? From a threat perspective, which color was more severe — yellow or orange? Former DHS chairman Janet Napolitano even admitted that the color-coded system presented 'little practical information' to the public. While the DHS has never really provided meaningful threat levels, in Threat Modeling: Designing for Security, author Adam Shostack has done a remarkable job in detailing an approach that is both achievable and functional. More importantly, he details a system where organizations can obtain meaningful and actionable information, rather than vague color charts."
Full review:
http://books-beta.slashdot.org/story/14/03/02/1748257/book-review-threat-modeling-designing-for-security
Adam Shostack
Threat Modeling: Designing for Security
John Wiley & Sons
17 February 2014
ISBN-10: 1118809998
ISBN-13: 978-1118809990