Attack Tree Models

An attack tree model is a graphical representation of the possible paths or ways in which an asset can be attacked. Nodes are shown in Attack Tree Models as geometric objects like boxes, polyhedrons, etc. In an attack tree, these nodes represent goals or states that an attacker wishes to achieve.

The Root node resides at the top of the tree, and represents the overall goal of the attacker. The attacker's goals will vary depending on the type of asset being analyzed and may be broad or narrow depending on the attacker’s purpose. Examples of root goals might include: Steal company assets; Destroy a building; Damage reputation.

The attacker’s overall goal is then broken down into increasingly detailed subgoals. The Analyst gains insights by decomposing the higher-level parent goals into the lower goals that the attacker must achieve in order to prevail.

Nodes below a particular node represent subtasks and are referred to as children and the nodes above any particular node are referred to as parent nodes. Nodes two levels above are called grandparents and so on.