Architecture Review
Security Architecture Assessment
Threat-model-driven review identifying systemic design flaws before they become exploitable vulnerabilities.
What is Architecture Review?
Security flaws introduced at the architecture level are the most expensive to fix and the most dangerous to leave — they're structural, affect every component built on top of them, and can't be patched with a hotfix. Our Security Architecture Review identifies these systemic risks through structured threat modelling before they manifest as exploitable vulnerabilities.
We apply STRIDE and PASTA threat modelling frameworks to your technical architecture, analysing trust boundaries, data flows, authentication and authorisation models, and integration points. Unlike a penetration test that finds exploitable weaknesses in what exists, an architecture review finds weaknesses in how it's designed — enabling you to course-correct before full implementation.
This service is particularly valuable for organisations launching new products, migrating to cloud, adopting microservices, or integrating AI capabilities — any significant architectural change that introduces new trust boundaries and data flows that haven't been security-reviewed.
Why it matters
- Architectural security flaws cost 10–100x more to fix post-deployment than during design — they require rework of multiple dependent components
- Trust boundary misdesign — allowing implicit trust between microservices or applications — is endemic and creates lateral movement highways for attackers
- Authentication and authorisation design flaws affect every user interaction in the system, not just a single endpoint
- Data flow analysis reveals where PII and sensitive data travels, where it's exposed unnecessarily, and where it needs encryption or tokenisation
- Compliance requirements (GDPR, DPDPA, PCI-DSS) mandate privacy and security by design — something only architecture review can verify
Our methodology
1. Architecture Documentation Review
Review of system architecture diagrams, data flow diagrams, API contracts, infrastructure-as-code, network topology, and authentication/authorisation design documents. We identify gaps in documentation as a finding in itself.
2. Threat Modelling (STRIDE/PASTA)
Structured threat modelling workshop with your engineering team. We enumerate threat actors, entry points, trust boundaries, and data flows — producing a threat model that identifies the most significant attack scenarios for your specific architecture.
3. Security Control Analysis
Assessment of controls in place against identified threats: authentication strength, authorisation model completeness, encryption coverage, secrets management, API security design, logging and monitoring coverage.
4. Roadmap & Design Recommendations
Prioritised findings with architectural remediation recommendations — not just 'this is wrong' but 'here is how to design it correctly'. For significant findings, we provide alternative design patterns with security tradeoff analysis.
Frequently asked questions
We're still in the design phase — is it too early for a review?
Design phase is the ideal time. We can review high-level architecture diagrams, API contracts, and design documents without requiring a deployed system. The earlier in the development lifecycle, the cheaper the fixes.
Do you need our source code?
Source code is optional but valuable where available. Architecture reviews are primarily design-level assessments — we work from diagrams, documentation, and technical conversations. Source code supplements the review for implementation-level architectural decisions.
How is an Architecture Review different from a penetration test?
A penetration test operates against a deployed system and finds exploitable weaknesses. An architecture review operates at the design level and finds structural security flaws. They're complementary: architecture review before build, penetration test after deployment.
Can you review cloud-native (Kubernetes, microservices) architectures?
Yes. Cloud-native architectures introduce specific security concerns — service mesh trust models, container image security, Kubernetes RBAC design, secret management patterns, and API gateway security design. These are explicitly covered in our review scope.
Do you work with our development team directly?
Yes, and this is encouraged. Architecture reviews produce the best findings when we can ask technical questions about design decisions. We typically run a threat modelling workshop with your architects and senior engineers as part of the engagement.
Deliverables
Threat Model
Complete STRIDE/PASTA threat model document with threat actor profiles and attack tree diagrams
Architecture Risk Report
Prioritised findings with architectural impact assessment and recommended design changes
Trust Boundary Analysis
Annotated architecture diagram showing trust boundary violations and implicit trust assumptions
Data Flow Security Map
Data flow diagram annotated with PII exposure points, encryption gaps, and access control issues
Secure Architecture Roadmap
Phased remediation roadmap prioritising structural changes by risk reduction value
Industries served
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