In the context of STRIDE, what does "R" stand for?

In the context of STRIDE, "R" stands for Repudiation. STRIDE is an acronym used for threat modeling that helps identify different types of security threats in a system. Each letter represents a category of threats: Spoofing, Tampering, Repudiation, Information disclosure, Denial of Service, and Elevation of privilege.

Repudiation refers to the ability of a user to deny having performed an action, which can lead to challenges in accountability and traceability in digital systems. If an action can be repudiated, it creates a security risk because there is no reliable way to prove who carried out a specific action or to hold that user accountable for it. This can involve situations where a user might perform an operation and then deny they did so, which could impact the integrity and security of the system.

Recognizing repudiation as a threat is essential in developing systems that employ appropriate logging, auditing, and non-repudiation measures such as digital signatures to ensure that actions can be confirmed and users cannot deny their involvement in those actions. This is vital for compliance and maintaining trust in digital transactions.