Threat Modeling
for SaaS & Startups
SOC 2 auditors want continuous evidence of risk management, not a spreadsheet refreshed once a year before the audit window opens. ThreatTree gives a small security team -- or a solo founder wearing the security hat -- a structured way to identify, score, and re-evaluate risk as the system actually changes.
Risk-assessment criteria, mapped to ThreatTree
SOC 2 isn't prescriptive about tooling, but the criteria most relevant to risk assessment are consistent. Here's where each fits in a ThreatTree forest.
| TSC criterion | In ThreatTree | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Audit scope definition The systems that actually handle customer data, not everything that might |
A Data Flow Diagram tree shows exactly which systems touch customer data, preventing the over-scoping that inflates audit cost |
| 2 | CC3.2 -- specify security objectives and identify risks to achieving them | STRIDE tagging across every DFD element gives you a documented, repeatable risk identification process, not an ad hoc list |
| 3 | CC3.3 -- assess the significance of identified risks, including likelihood and impact | Attack Trees decomposed with Likelihood x Impact scoring produce a scored risk register with rationale, not a gut-feel priority list |
| 4 | CC4.1 -- ongoing monitoring evaluates the continuing relevance of controls | Update the forest as your system changes and re-export the risk register -- a timestamped series of exports across the audit period is the evidence of continuous process CC4.1 wants |
| 5 | CC9.2 -- assess and manage risk associated with vendors and business partners | External entities in the DFD are tied to specific integration points and trust boundaries, categorically stronger evidence than a vendor questionnaire |
What this is, and isn't: ThreatTree is a threat modeling tool, not an auditor or a substitute for your SOC 2 readiness advisor. It helps you build the living risk-identification evidence auditors look for under CC3.2, CC3.3, CC4.1, and CC9.2 -- whether it satisfies a specific engagement is your auditor's call.
A living risk register, not a yearly spreadsheet
Every threat traces back to a real system, and every risk decision traces back to a rated attack path.
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Architecture-Anchored Scope
Model your system with DFDs -- processes, data stores, trust boundaries, and external entities -- so audit scope is drawn from your actual architecture, not a guess.
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Attack Path Decomposition
Break each threat into an Attack Tree with AND/OR logic, from attacker goal to atomic step -- evidence an auditor can follow, not just a claim.
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Prioritized Risk Register
Likelihood x Impact scoring generates a ranked risk register automatically across every tree in a forest -- re-export it as often as your audit window needs.
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Auditor-Ready PDF Reports
Generate a report with architecture, attack trees, and ranked risk register in a single PDF -- built to sit alongside your SOC 2 evidence package.
SaaS & startup threat modeling, answered
What founders and small security teams ask before adopting ThreatTree.
Does ThreatTree replace our SOC 2 auditor?
No. ThreatTree helps you build the risk identification, scoring, and vendor-risk evidence auditors look for under TSC CC3.2, CC3.3, and CC9.2 -- it doesn't perform the audit or issue a report.
Can a solo founder without a security background use this?
Yes. ThreatTree is built for security teams and just as suited to a solo builder securing a side project or a first SOC 2 audit -- STRIDE and the risk register give you a structured process to follow rather than requiring you to invent one.
Does this work for SOC 2 Type I and Type II?
Yes. Export the risk register at a single point in time for Type I, or export it repeatedly across your audit window for Type II -- the timestamped history is what demonstrates the ongoing process CC3.3 and CC4.1 ask for.
Is there a deeper guide on this?
Yes -- the blog post linked below goes deep on why static, once-a-year documents fail the continuous-assurance test auditors now expect, and walks through CC3.2, CC3.3, CC4.1, CC7.2, and CC9.2 in detail.
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