Guest article
Champions of Change: How Security Champions Drive Threat Modeling at Scale
Threat modeling is one of the most powerful activities in a secure software development lifecycle. It’s proactive, systematic, and helps teams uncover design flaws early, before a single line of vulnerable code is shipped.
But here’s the challenge: it doesn’t scale easily.
Security teams are often outnumbered by engineering 100:1, 200:1, or worse. Developers are moving fast, and centralized security doesn’t always have the capacity to facilitate deep design reviews for every feature, sprint, or service. Threat modeling becomes yet another good practice with limited adoption.
So the big question becomes: *Who owns threat modeling when security teams can’t be everywhere?*
The answer: Security Champions.
The four properties of Security Champions: Positioned to Lead from Within things
The trick isn’t just assigning threat modeling to your champions, it’s enabling them to succeed. Here’s how:
1. Teach Practical Threat Modeling Techniques
Not every champion needs to be a threat modeling expert. But they do need just enough skill and confidence to guide their teams. Finding ways to provide threat modeling knowledge as part of your security champion program experience can be key.
Start by training your champions on pragmatic techniques like STRIDE, attack trees, or the “Four Question” method. Use real-world examples tied to the team’s domain. Keep it interactive and focused on learning by doing. Short workshops, lunch-and-learns, and facilitated walkthroughs can go a long way.
2. Equip Them with Templates and Tools
Threat modeling can feel intimidating, especially if it starts with a blank canvas. Make it easier.
Provide champions with:
- Lightweight threat modeling templates (e.g., step-by-step prompts)
- Reusable DFD stencils or architecture diagrams
- Links to collaborative tools like Miro, Lucidchart, or IriusRisk
Aim for tools that fit the team’s existing workflow and skillset, not tools that force new behavior.
3. Embed Modeling into Engineering Rituals
One of the most effective strategies I’ve seen is to stop treating threat modeling as a separate activity.
Encourage and coach your security champions to insert threat modeling prompts into existing ceremonies:
- During sprint planning: “What could go wrong with this feature?”
- In design reviews: “Let’s put ourselves in an attacker’s shoes.”
- In retros: “Did we miss any risks in last sprint’s work?”
This keeps modeling relevant, lightweight, and iterative – just like modern software development!
4. Build Feedback Loops with Security
Champions are not expected to be security or threat modeling experts. They’re facilitators. That means they need an escalation path when they hit something complex.
Establish feedback channels like:
- Slack channels for async help from the security team
- Scheduled “office hours” with the AppSec team
- Shared threat modeling reviews for new services
This connection builds trust both ways: security gets context, and champions get clarity.
5. Celebrate and Recognize Success
Culture eats tooling for breakfast. If you want threat modeling to stick, make it visible and rewarding.
Shout out great modeling examples in demos or all-hands. Offer badges or public praise. Show how champion contributions directly improved security outcomes as part of your OKR reporting.
Small signals go a long way in reinforcing new behaviors!
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Enabling threat modeling through champions can be a huge success *if* you avoid these common traps:
Lack of support: Don’t dump responsibility on champions without training and security backing.
Tool overload: Stick to one or two tools that work well; avoid fragmentation.
Checklist mentality: Threat modeling is a mindset, not just an audit step.
No recognition: Humans respond positively to acknowledgement and praise, don’t forget to reward their efforts with appreciation.
Above all, give champions autonomy and flexibility – they know how their teams work best.
Conclusion: Scale Through People, Not Just Process
Threat modeling shouldn’t be a bottleneck. It should be a shared responsibility, championed from within.
By empowering security champions, you embed security thinking into the flow of development. You scale without centralizing. And you create a culture where asking “What could go wrong?” is just part of how your teams design software.
Start small. Share a template. Co-facilitate a session. Celebrate a champion’s modeling win.
Let your people lead and your threat modeling program will scale with them.
