Page 114 - (ISC)² CISSP Certified Information Systems Security Professional Official Study Guide

your development project or deployed infrastructure, the next step in
threat modeling is to determine the potential attack concepts that

could be realized. This is often accomplished through the creation of a
diagram of the elements involved in a transaction along with
indications of data flow and privilege boundaries (Figure 1.8). This
image is an example of a data flow diagram that shows each major
component of a system, the boundaries between security zones, and
the potential flow or movement of information and data. By crafting
such a diagram for each environment or system, it is possible to more

closely examine each point where a compromise could occur.

Such data flow diagrams are useful in gaining a better understanding
of the relationships of resources and movement of data through a
visual representation. This process of diagramming is also known as
crafting an architecture diagram. The creation of the diagram helps to
detail the functions and purpose of each element of a business task,
development process, or work activity. It is important to include users,

processors, applications, data-stores, and all other essential elements
needed to perform the specific task or operation. This is a high-level
overview and not a detailed evaluation of the coding logic. However,
for more complex systems, multiple diagrams may need to be created
at various focus points and at varying levels of detail magnification.