ThreatModel skill

Defensive threat modeling and risk management for your own estate — map where sensitive data lives across your asset graph, run compromise scenarios (what a hacked asset exposes, its blast radius, how you'd respond), and maintain a persistent risk register with likelihood×impact scoring, owners, mitigations, and review cadence via a deterministic CLI.

by danielmiessler·MIT license·★ 19,269 Stars on the repo·GitHub ↗

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ThreatModel

Threat modeling for the estate you actually run. Three moves: classify where sensitive data lives, simulate compromise of the assets that hold it, and keep the resulting risks in a register that gets reviewed instead of forgotten.

Customization

Before executing, check for user customizations at: ~/.claude/LIFEOS/USER/CUSTOMIZATIONS/SKILLS/ThreatModel/

If this directory exists, load and apply PREFERENCES.md (data locations, sensitive-data class priorities, response runbook cross-references). If not, proceed with defaults.

Data/Code Separation (safety gate)

This skill directory is public code. It must never contain data.

  • Every artifact a workflow produces — scenario docs, data classifications, register entries — is written to the private data directory, never into this skill tree.
  • Default data dir: ~/.claude/LIFEOS/USER/SECURITY/THREATMODEL/ (release-excluded USER tree). Override with THREATMODEL_DATA_DIR.
  • Tools/RiskRegister.ts structurally refuses any data dir that resolves inside a skills/ path.
  • Register entries reference credentials by env-var NAME only — never values. No tokens, keys, or cookies anywhere in threat-model output.

Voice Notification

When executing a workflow, do BOTH:

  1. Send voice notification:

    curl -s -X POST http://localhost:31337/notify \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{"message": "Running WORKFLOWNAME in ThreatModel"}' \
      > /dev/null 2>&1 &
    
  2. Output text notification:

    Running **WorkflowName** in **ThreatModel**...
    

Workflow Routing

Workflow Trigger File
SensitiveDataMap "where is our sensitive data", "data classification", "which assets hold sensitive data" Workflows/SensitiveDataMap.md
CompromiseScenario "what if X got hacked", "compromise scenario", "blast radius of X" Workflows/CompromiseScenario.md
ThreatModelTarget "threat model X", "threat model the estate", "risk assessment of X" Workflows/ThreatModelTarget.md
RiskRegister "risk register", "add a risk", "risk review", "accept risk", "close risk" Workflows/RiskRegister.md

Asset Graph Integration

If the install has Atlas (~/.claude/LIFEOS/ATLAS/Atlas.ts), workflows use it as the current-state source of truth:

bun ~/.claude/LIFEOS/ATLAS/Atlas.ts blast <key>     # what relies on this asset
bun ~/.claude/LIFEOS/ATLAS/Atlas.ts owns <key>      # what deleting/losing it orphans
bun ~/.claude/LIFEOS/ATLAS/Atlas.ts exposed <key>   # which credentials it would leak, priority-ordered
bun ~/.claude/LIFEOS/ATLAS/Atlas.ts sql "SELECT ..."  # read-only census queries

exposed makes the "one hop of trust" step deterministic instead of a judgment call: it returns the credentials an asset holds, transitively through what it owns, compromise-tier first. Pair it with a DEPENDS_ON query for the data stores an asset can reach:

bun ~/.claude/LIFEOS/ATLAS/Atlas.ts sql "SELECT a.kind, a.canonical_key FROM edge e JOIN asset a ON a.id=e.dst WHERE e.kind='DEPENDS_ON' AND e.status='active' AND e.src=(SELECT id FROM asset WHERE canonical_key='<key>')"

Without Atlas, workflows fall back to what the user enumerates plus repo/config inspection — and say so in the output. Never invent an inventory.

Risk Scoring

score = likelihood (1-5) × impact (1-5) → Low 1-4 · Medium 5-9 · High 10-14 · Critical 15-25.

Impact is anchored to data classes and blast radius, not vibes: an asset whose compromise exposes credentials or customer data starts at impact 4+. Likelihood is anchored to exposure (public URL, auth boundary, patch state, credential hygiene).

Gotchas

  • The register markdown is a generated view. The JSON store is the system of record; edit via the CLI, never by hand-editing the exported RiskRegister.md — the next export overwrites it.
  • Unclassified ≠ safe. An asset with no sensitive-data tag is unclassified, never clean. Absence of classification is not evidence of absence of data (the absence-metric rule). SensitiveDataMap output must list unclassified assets explicitly.
  • Graph blast radius is derived evidence. Asset-graph queries show what the graph knows; before treating a blast radius as complete for a high-stakes decision, confirm against the provider's authority API (the graph can lag or under-model edges).
  • Scenario impact includes what the asset can REACH, not just what it stores. A box with no data but with credentials/bindings to data-bearing systems inherits their impact. Walk the trust hop with atlas exposed (credentials) plus a DEPENDS_ON query (data stores) before scoring impact; don't eyeball it.
  • Credential concentration is its own finding, not a sum of parts. An asset holding two credential classes that each reach a different domain is worse than the two risks added together, because it collapses a boundary that was supposed to exist. Scenario writing should name concentration explicitly when exposed shows more than one compromise-tier class on one asset.
  • Don't let the register rot. Every risk gets a review_by date at creation; the review command lists overdue ones. A register nobody reviews is worse than none — it manufactures false assurance.

Examples

Example 1: Sensitive data sweep

User: "Which of our assets have sensitive data?"
→ SensitiveDataMap: census the asset graph, classify each data-bearing asset
→ Writes EstateDataMap.md to the private data dir
→ Returns the classified map + explicit unclassified list

Example 2: Compromise scenario

User: "What happens if our analytics worker gets popped?"
→ CompromiseScenario: blast radius via asset graph, data exposed, attacker next-steps,
  detection signals, response plan
→ Scenario doc to private data dir; risks added to register with scores

Example 3: Risk review

User: "Run a risk review"
→ RiskRegister: lists overdue + open risks by score, walks disposition
  (mitigate / accept / close), updates review dates
1---
2name: ThreatModel
3version: 1.0.1
4description: Defensive threat modeling and risk management for your own estate — map where sensitive data lives across your asset graph, run compromise scenarios (what a hacked asset exposes, its blast radius, how you'd respond), and maintain a persistent risk register with likelihood×impact scoring, owners, mitigations, and review cadence via a deterministic CLI. All real data stays in your private USER tree; this skill is code only. USE WHEN threat model, threat modeling, risk register, risk assessment, what if X got hacked, compromise scenario, blast radius, sensitive data map, where is our sensitive data, data classification, risk review, add a risk, accept a risk, security risk posture. NOT FOR active pentesting or exploitation (use an offensive-security skill), world-scale futures stress-testing of ideas (use WorldThreatModel), or executing incident response (use your incident-response runbooks — this skill plans them).
5---
6 
7# ThreatModel
8 
9Threat modeling for the estate you actually run. Three moves: classify where sensitive data lives, simulate compromise of the assets that hold it, and keep the resulting risks in a register that gets reviewed instead of forgotten.
10 
11## Customization
12 
13**Before executing, check for user customizations at:**
14`~/.claude/LIFEOS/USER/CUSTOMIZATIONS/SKILLS/ThreatModel/`
15 
16If this directory exists, load and apply `PREFERENCES.md` (data locations, sensitive-data class priorities, response runbook cross-references). If not, proceed with defaults.
17 
18## Data/Code Separation (safety gate)
19 
20**This skill directory is public code. It must never contain data.**
21 
22- Every artifact a workflow produces — scenario docs, data classifications, register entries — is written to the private data directory, never into this skill tree.
23- Default data dir: `~/.claude/LIFEOS/USER/SECURITY/THREATMODEL/` (release-excluded USER tree). Override with `THREATMODEL_DATA_DIR`.
24- `Tools/RiskRegister.ts` structurally refuses any data dir that resolves inside a `skills/` path.
25- Register entries reference credentials by env-var NAME only — never values. No tokens, keys, or cookies anywhere in threat-model output.
26 
27## Voice Notification
28 
29**When executing a workflow, do BOTH:**
30 
311. **Send voice notification**:
32 ```bash
33 curl -s -X POST http://localhost:31337/notify \
34 -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
35 -d '{"message": "Running WORKFLOWNAME in ThreatModel"}' \
36 > /dev/null 2>&1 &
37 ```
38 
392. **Output text notification**:
40 ```
41 Running **WorkflowName** in **ThreatModel**...
42 ```
43 
44## Workflow Routing
45 
46| Workflow | Trigger | File |
47|----------|---------|------|
48| **SensitiveDataMap** | "where is our sensitive data", "data classification", "which assets hold sensitive data" | `Workflows/SensitiveDataMap.md` |
49| **CompromiseScenario** | "what if X got hacked", "compromise scenario", "blast radius of X" | `Workflows/CompromiseScenario.md` |
50| **ThreatModelTarget** | "threat model X", "threat model the estate", "risk assessment of X" | `Workflows/ThreatModelTarget.md` |
51| **RiskRegister** | "risk register", "add a risk", "risk review", "accept risk", "close risk" | `Workflows/RiskRegister.md` |
52 
53## Asset Graph Integration
54 
55If the install has Atlas (`~/.claude/LIFEOS/ATLAS/Atlas.ts`), workflows use it as the current-state source of truth:
56 
57```bash
58bun ~/.claude/LIFEOS/ATLAS/Atlas.ts blast <key> # what relies on this asset
59bun ~/.claude/LIFEOS/ATLAS/Atlas.ts owns <key> # what deleting/losing it orphans
60bun ~/.claude/LIFEOS/ATLAS/Atlas.ts exposed <key> # which credentials it would leak, priority-ordered
61bun ~/.claude/LIFEOS/ATLAS/Atlas.ts sql "SELECT ..." # read-only census queries
62```
63 
64`exposed` makes the "one hop of trust" step deterministic instead of a judgment call: it returns the credentials an asset holds, transitively through what it owns, compromise-tier first. Pair it with a DEPENDS_ON query for the data stores an asset can reach:
65 
66```bash
67bun ~/.claude/LIFEOS/ATLAS/Atlas.ts sql "SELECT a.kind, a.canonical_key FROM edge e JOIN asset a ON a.id=e.dst WHERE e.kind='DEPENDS_ON' AND e.status='active' AND e.src=(SELECT id FROM asset WHERE canonical_key='<key>')"
68```
69 
70Without Atlas, workflows fall back to what the user enumerates plus repo/config inspection — and say so in the output. Never invent an inventory.
71 
72## Risk Scoring
73 
74`score = likelihood (1-5) × impact (1-5)` → **Low** 1-4 · **Medium** 5-9 · **High** 10-14 · **Critical** 15-25.
75 
76Impact is anchored to data classes and blast radius, not vibes: an asset whose compromise exposes credentials or customer data starts at impact 4+. Likelihood is anchored to exposure (public URL, auth boundary, patch state, credential hygiene).
77 
78## Gotchas
79 
80- **The register markdown is a generated view.** The JSON store is the system of record; edit via the CLI, never by hand-editing the exported `RiskRegister.md` — the next export overwrites it.
81- **Unclassified ≠ safe.** An asset with no sensitive-data tag is *unclassified*, never *clean*. Absence of classification is not evidence of absence of data (the absence-metric rule). SensitiveDataMap output must list unclassified assets explicitly.
82- **Graph blast radius is derived evidence.** Asset-graph queries show what the graph knows; before treating a blast radius as complete for a high-stakes decision, confirm against the provider's authority API (the graph can lag or under-model edges).
83- **Scenario impact includes what the asset can REACH, not just what it stores.** A box with no data but with credentials/bindings to data-bearing systems inherits their impact. Walk the trust hop with `atlas exposed` (credentials) plus a DEPENDS_ON query (data stores) before scoring impact; don't eyeball it.
84- **Credential concentration is its own finding, not a sum of parts.** An asset holding two credential classes that each reach a different domain is worse than the two risks added together, because it collapses a boundary that was supposed to exist. Scenario writing should name concentration explicitly when `exposed` shows more than one compromise-tier class on one asset.
85- **Don't let the register rot.** Every risk gets a `review_by` date at creation; the `review` command lists overdue ones. A register nobody reviews is worse than none — it manufactures false assurance.
86 
87## Examples
88 
89**Example 1: Sensitive data sweep**
90```
91User: "Which of our assets have sensitive data?"
92→ SensitiveDataMap: census the asset graph, classify each data-bearing asset
93→ Writes EstateDataMap.md to the private data dir
94→ Returns the classified map + explicit unclassified list
95```
96 
97**Example 2: Compromise scenario**
98```
99User: "What happens if our analytics worker gets popped?"
100→ CompromiseScenario: blast radius via asset graph, data exposed, attacker next-steps,
101 detection signals, response plan
102→ Scenario doc to private data dir; risks added to register with scores
103```
104 
105**Example 3: Risk review**
106```
107User: "Run a risk review"
108→ RiskRegister: lists overdue + open risks by score, walks disposition
109 (mitigate / accept / close), updates review dates
110```
111 

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