What could go wrong? Rethinking security in regulated sectors

At its core, Threat Modelling is about asking the right questions early. It helps teams see the shape of risk before it becomes real, helping to map out what you’re building, what could go wrong and what needs to happen to keep things secure. For regulated sectors, where compliance and resilience go hand in hand, this approach is not just useful - it’s essential.

Security by design, not by disaster

Financial Services runs on trust. But with rising cyber threats and ever-tighter regulation, trust is harder to maintain. Threat Modelling helps by putting structure around uncertainty by prioritising the most critical risks and giving teams a clear path to mitigation. The value? It's a practical way to embed security thinking into architecture, design and decision-making, without slowing down delivery.

The same applies to CNI. When systems powering energy, transport or healthcare go down, the impact is immediate and widespread - just think back to the Wannacry ransomware attack on the NHS. Threat Modelling is a mechanism that gives organisations a proactive way to surface hidden vulnerabilities, test assumptions and plan for worst-case scenarios - before they play out in real life.

A team sport, not a solo act

One of the most powerful aspects of Threat Modelling is that it brings people together. Security isn’t just an engineering problem - it’s a business risk. By involving developers, architects, product owners and leadership in a shared process, Threat Modelling breaks down silos and builds a common understanding of what’s at stake and how to protect it.

It also helps to shift the culture. When teams start thinking like attackers, they get better at defending what matters most. It’s not about paranoia - it’s about preparation.

Four simple questions. One powerful mindset.

We recently sat down with Adam Shostack, a leading voice in the Threat Modelling space. He boiled it down to four deceptively simple questions:

1. What are we working on? Understand your system, its boundaries, and its goals.

2. What can go wrong? Think like an attacker. Where are the weak spots?

3. What are we going to do about it? Plan and prioritise mitigations - focus on what matters most.

4. Did we do a good job? Review, test, and improve. Make Threat Modelling a habit, not a one-off.

These questions aren’t just helpful - they’re transformative, shifting teams from reactive firefighting to proactive risk management.

Related Insight

What is threat modelling and why your business needs it

How do you actually threat model and why is it such a critical practice in modern software development?

Regulation, resilience, and the road ahead

Regulated sectors can’t afford to get security wrong. But the good news is that threat Modelling gives organisations a way to get it right early on, collaboratively, and continuously. It strengthens compliance, boosts resilience and fosters a culture where security isn’t bolted on at the end - it’s baked in from the start.

In high-stakes environments, that’s the kind of shift that makes all the difference.

Ready to shift left on security?

In regulated environments, resilience starts with a strong security culture. Threat Modelling helps teams surface risk early, align on what matters and embed security into everyday decisions.

Let’s talk about how you can do the same and use Threat Modelling to drive clarity, confidence and more secure outcomes.