Process flow on a process diagram
Shapes for describing a procedure rather than a network.
7 objects in this group, each named in plain English with the technical terms kept as searchable aliases. All of them are defined in full below.
None of these carries attack notes, because they are notation shapes for describing a procedure rather than things on a network. Nothing attacks a decision diamond.
Start or end
terminator
Where a process begins or finishes.
Why it matters on a security diagram
Every procedure diagram needs an explicit beginning and end.
Step
process · action · task
One action in a procedure.
Why it matters on a security diagram
The unit of a runbook or an incident response plan.
Decision
choice · fork
A point where the path splits depending on the answer.
Why it matters on a security diagram
Where a procedure most often goes wrong under pressure.
Data
input · output · record
Information going into or coming out of a step.
Why it matters on a security diagram
Makes it explicit what a step actually handles.
Document
report · form · written output
A written output, such as a report or a form.
Why it matters on a security diagram
Often the evidence an auditor asks to see.
Subprocess
predefined process · sub-procedure
A step defined in detail somewhere else.
Why it matters on a security diagram
Keeps a diagram readable by hiding detail that belongs elsewhere.
Note
annotation · comment · label
A piece of explanatory text on the diagram.
Why it matters on a security diagram
Carries the caveat that stops a diagram being misread.
The other groups
- Network6The paths traffic travels along.
- Wireless and radio11The parts of the network that travel through the air, and how far they reach.
- Cloud and subscribed services12Things that only exist because somebody else runs the platform underneath them.
- Security and edge11The things that sit in front of something else and check what is trying to reach it.
- Servers13Machines that run something for other machines.
- Storage4Where data sits still.
- Endpoints and devices8The things people and processes touch directly.
- Identity6Who something claims to be, and what proves it.
- People and organisations4The humans and the entities they belong to.
- Places3Physical locations and regions.
- Threats15The adversary and the things they bring.
Draw it rather than read it
Every object above is in the editor. Press N, type a few letters of the plain name or the acronym, and it is placed and connected to whatever was selected. Nothing is uploaded, because the page is served with a Content Security Policy that forbids the browser from making any outbound request at all.
Open the diagram makerThe catalogue behind this page is published as open data under CC BY 4.0, last reviewed . Every attack note describes a mechanism and contains no procedure. Corrections are welcome.