Threat Modelling in the Real World: Lessons from a First-Time Practitioner

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Presented at BSides Bristol 2026 by

Poulomi Dwibedi

Threat modelling is often introduced as a structured and well-defined process, but applying it in real-world environments can be far more challenging than expected. As a practitioner relatively early in this journey, I’ve experienced first-hand how threat modelling can become difficult to maintain, disconnected from fast-changing systems, and sometimes overlooked entirely in day-to-day security work. In this talk, I’ll share practical lessons learned while working with threat modelling in complex environments — including where things didn’t go as planned. From struggling with keeping models up to date, to bridging gaps between different teams, this session focuses on the realities that are often not discussed. Rather than focusing on theory or frameworks, this talk explores simple, practical ways to make threat modelling more useful and relevant — including connecting it with monitoring, detection, and everyday security workflows. This session is aimed at anyone starting out with threat modelling or trying to make it work in real-world scenarios, offering an honest perspective and actionable takeaways.