---
title: Security Architect Guide
description: HVE Core support for security architects building threat models, security plans, and compliance verification
author: Microsoft
ms.date: 2026-02-18
ms.topic: how-to
keywords:
  - security
  - threat modeling
  - risk assessment
  - compliance
estimated_reading_time: 10
---

This guide is for you if you perform threat modeling, build security plans, assess risks, define compliance requirements, or review system security posture. Security architects have focused but deep tooling, with 9 addressable assets centered on security planning and risk management.

> [!CAUTION]
> The security agents and prompts in HVE Core are **assistive tools only**.
> They do not replace professional security tooling (SAST, DAST, SCA, penetration testing, compliance scanners) or qualified human review.
> All AI-generated security plans, threat models, risk registers, and incident response runbooks **must** be reviewed and validated by qualified security professionals before use.
> AI outputs may contain inaccuracies, miss critical threats, or produce recommendations that are incomplete or inappropriate for your environment.
> Never treat AI-generated security artifacts as authoritative without independent verification.

## Recommended Collections

> [!TIP]
> Install the [HVE Core extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ise-hve-essentials.hve-core) from the VS Code Marketplace to get all stable artifacts with zero configuration.
>
> Your primary collections are `security-planning` (security plan creation, risk registers, and incident response tools) and `project-planning` (broader project context). For clone-based setups, use the **hve-core-installer** agent with `install security-planning project-planning`.

## What HVE Core Does for You

1. Creates comprehensive security plans with threat modeling and mitigation strategies
2. Generates and manages risk registers for component-level risk assessment
3. Provides incident response runbook templates and playbooks
4. Supports security architecture research through deep codebase analysis
5. Reviews implementation against security requirements and best practices

## Your Lifecycle Stages

> [!NOTE]
> Security architects primarily operate in these lifecycle stages:
>
> [Stage 2: Discovery](../lifecycle/discovery.md): Research security requirements, investigate threat landscape, gather evidence
> [Stage 3: Product Definition](../lifecycle/product-definition.md): Define threat models, security specifications, and compliance requirements
> [Stage 7: Review](../lifecycle/review.md): Validate implementation against security requirements
> [Stage 9: Operations](../lifecycle/operations.md): Monitor security posture, update threat models, manage incident response

## Stage Walkthrough

1. Stage 2: Discovery. Use the **task-researcher** agent to investigate the threat landscape, existing security controls, and compliance requirements for your system.
2. Stage 3: Product Definition. Run the **security-plan-creator** agent to generate a security plan with threat models, attack vectors, and mitigation strategies.
3. Stage 3: Product Definition. Use `/risk-register` to assess and document component-level risks with severity ratings, likelihood, and mitigation plans.
4. Stage 7: Review. Validate implementation against security requirements using the **task-reviewer** agent for code-level security compliance checks.
5. Stage 9: Operations. Maintain incident response readiness with `/incident-response` and update threat models as the system evolves.

## Starter Prompts

Select **security-plan-creator** agent:

```text
Generate a security plan for our customer-facing REST API gateway. Cover
OAuth 2.0 authentication with Azure AD B2C, PII data classification in
user profiles, PCI DSS compliance for payment flows, and threat model
areas including injection attacks and broken access control.
```

```text
/risk-register Assess and document risks for the payment processing
module. Focus on PCI DSS compliance gaps, injection vulnerabilities
in transaction inputs, and key management for encryption at rest.
```

```text
/incident-response Create an incident response runbook for a data breach
involving customer PII exposure through a misconfigured storage bucket.
Include containment steps, GDPR notification timelines, forensic evidence
preservation, and post-incident review process.
```

Select **task-researcher** agent:

```text
Research security patterns for GraphQL APIs, focusing on query depth
limiting to prevent DoS, field-level authorization approaches, disabling
introspection in production, and input validation for nested mutation
arguments.
```

## Key Agents and Workflows

| Agent                     | Purpose                                       | Docs                                            |
|---------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
| **security-plan-creator** | Security plan and threat model generation     | Agent file                                      |
| **task-researcher**       | Security-focused codebase and threat research | [Task Researcher](../../rpi/task-researcher.md) |
| **task-reviewer**         | Security compliance review                    | [Task Reviewer](../../rpi/task-reviewer.md)     |
| **memory**                | Session context and preference persistence    | Agent file                                      |

Prompts complement the agents for targeted security workflows:

| Prompt            | Purpose                                     | Invoke               |
|-------------------|---------------------------------------------|----------------------|
| risk-register     | Component risk assessment and documentation | `/risk-register`     |
| incident-response | Incident response runbook creation          | `/incident-response` |

## Tips

| Do                                                                      | Don't                                                         |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| Start with the **security-plan-creator** agent for comprehensive models | Create ad-hoc security notes without structured threat models |
| Use `/risk-register` for each significant component                     | Track risks informally or skip risk documentation             |
| Research the threat landscape before defining mitigations               | Assume threat models from other projects directly apply       |
| Update threat models as the system architecture evolves                 | Treat security plans as static, one-time documents            |
| Map security requirements to specific lifecycle stages                  | Isolate security from the broader product lifecycle           |

## Related Roles

* Security Architect + TPM: Security requirements integrate into BRDs and PRDs. Threat models inform product specifications and compliance gates. See the [TPM Guide](tpm.md).
* Security Architect + Tech Lead: Security architecture decisions align with overall system design. Threat models shape architectural choices. See the [Tech Lead Guide](tech-lead.md).
* Security Architect + SRE: Operational security, incident response, and monitoring bridge security planning with production operations. See the [SRE / Operations Guide](sre-operations.md).

## Next Steps

> [!TIP]
> Explore security planning tools: [Security Planning Collection](../../collections/security-planning.collection.md)
> Review the threat model documentation: [Threat Model](../../security/threat-model.md)
> See how security fits the project lifecycle: [AI-Assisted Project Lifecycle](../lifecycle/)

---

> [!IMPORTANT]
> Security-specific tooling covers Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 7, and Stage 9 only. Stages 4 through 6 and Stage 8 rely on general-purpose agents (the **task-researcher** and **task-reviewer** agents) rather than dedicated security tooling. Specialized security coverage for decomposition, sprint planning, implementation, and delivery is a planned improvement.

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*🤖 Crafted with precision by ✨Copilot following brilliant human instruction,
then carefully refined by our team of discerning human reviewers.*
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