The Top Level Cyber Threat Clusters (TLCTC) framework serves as a "Rosetta Stone" connecting strategic planning to operational security through logically-derived, non-overlapping threat categories. This fills a critical gap in current standards while complementing existing cyber risk management approaches.
Today's cybersecurity landscape is fragmented across three critical levels, each speaking a different language. There is no consistent Cyber Threat Categorization Framework out there. TLCTC provides the universal framework that connects them all.
NotebookLM Video (2025/08/14) - TLCTC - Short Introduction
NotebookLM Podcast (2025/02/16) - TLCTC - Extended Introduction
NotebookLM Video (2025/09/25) - TLCTC Control Matrix (NIST CSF aligned)
TLCTC delivers clear benefits across strategic leadership, technical teams, and regulatory bodies.
The foundational building blocks for understanding *how* adversaries operate. Click to explore definitions.
Misusing legitimate features.
Leveraging server-side code flaws.
Leveraging client-side code flaws.
Compromising credentials/auth.
Intercepting communications.
Overwhelming capacity/resources.
Executing foreign malicious code.
Unauthorized physical interaction.
Manipulating individuals.
Compromising third-party elements.
Explore the foundational elements that define the TLCTC framework and its applications.
Bridging Strategy & Operations
Leverage these tools to apply the TLCTC framework in your organization.
Holistic Views: Org, Customers, 3rd Parties, State Level.
Try the Radar AppLatest insights, analyses, and discussions. Use the filters to explore specific topics.
The TLCTC framework bridges the critical gap between boardroom risk discussions and SOC operations through a two-layer approach centered on the cyber risk event (system compromise/loss of control).
A guide for modern defenders on synthesizing CKC for timelines, ATT&CK for techniques, and TLCTC for a cause-oriented taxonomy and governance integration.
A deep dive into mapping CWE-514 to TLCTC #8, explaining the cause-oriented logic, multi-stage attack paths like #1 → #8, and why specific CWEs are better for control selection.
We assess the EU Cybersecurity Act (CSA) through the TLCTC framework, highlighting where certification may under‑deliver and how to fix it.
We assess the EU Cyber Resilience Act exclusively through the TLCTC framework and highlight where CRA implementation may under‑deliver unless stakeholders adopt a cause‑oriented threat language.
The EU’s flagship cyber regulations (NIS2, Cybersecurity Act, CRA) will under-deliver on actual cyber risk reduction because they lack a shared, cause-based understanding and categorization of cyber threats. TLCTC provides the unifying taxonomy.
ISO standards are essential for governance, but they lack a cyber-specific threat taxonomy. Learn how TLCTC fills this critical gap to create a truly path-aware defense program.
A critique of the 'constantly evolving' threat landscape narrative. TLCTC reveals the strategic stability of 10 core threats, enabling a shift from reactive firefighting to proactive, cause-oriented defense.
Go beyond treating symptoms. Learn how the TLCTC Bow-Tie model uses causality to map the flow from threat to business impact, transforming cyber risk from guesswork to a strategic advantage.
Learn about TLCTC's sequential attack-path notation system for mapping domain boundaries and supply-chain transitions using #10 markers to denote trust domain crossings.
How the Top Level Cyber Threat Clusters Framework Could Shape the Future of Cybersecurity Standards. Demonstrate how the 10 Top Level Cyber Threat Clusters provide strategic threat categorization while NIST CSF functions deliver structured operational control implementation.
An in-depth AI analysis of the TLCTC framework through conversation format. Exploring whether Bernhard Kreinz's novel cybersecurity approach truly solves the industry's biggest problem or reinvents existing solutions. Features detailed discussion on the Rosetta Stone metaphor and framework actionability.
As security leaders, we know a system compromise isn't the end of the story—it's the explosive start.
A ready‑to‑paste prompt that instructs an AI to analyze any Security Report, Cyber Incident Report, or similar document through the lens of the Top Level Cyber Threat Clusters (TLCTC) framework. This prompt ensures structured, defensible output aligned with strategic risk management and operational security.
A ready‑to‑paste prompt that instructs an AI to analyze any Cyber Report regarding Cyber Incidents and Threats through the lens of the Top Level Cyber Threat Clusters (TLCTC) framework with json output for the TLCTC Cyber Threat Radar
How TLCTC bridges the critical gap between high-level risk management and hands-on operational security.
An innovative approach to communicate and prioritize diverse cyber threats for different stakeholders.
Beside the Attacker's View we add the Developer's view to the TLCTC definitions
Understand TLCTC's role as a unifying layer for strategic frameworks like NIST and operational ones like MITRE.
A practical guide on mapping TLCTC to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to enhance your security posture.
A look at securing AI systems by integrating the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and MITRE ATLAS using TLCTC.
Examining MFA bypass techniques and attack paths, and how to classify them using TLCTC.
detailed analysis of the DORA TLPT Final Report and a comparison with the Top Level Cyber Threat Clusters (TLCTC) framework...
How development teams can leverage TLCTC for better threat modeling and secure coding practices.
The Distinction: Programmer vs. Coder.
A detailed mapping of techniques in the MITRE ATT&CK Initial Access tactic to the 10 TLCTC clusters.
Mapping static analysis findings from SonarQube through CWE to the strategic view of TLCTC.
How to use TLCTC to structure and demonstrate compliance with the Secure Software Development Framework.
Explore how TLCTC provides a high-level threat categorization for Operational Technology environments under IEC 62443.
A proposal for extending STIX and ATT&CK objects with a TLCTC extension for better strategic context.
A deep dive into the logic and thought experiment behind the creation of exactly ten, non-overlapping clusters.
See a practical example of how the VERIS vocabulary for describing incidents can be mapped to TLCTC.
Analyzing the values and principles of the Threat Modeling Manifesto in the context of the TLCTC framework.
An analysis of the similarities, differences, and complementary nature of TLCTC and the STRIDE framework.
Enhance the PASTA methodology by using TLCTC for a structured and comprehensive threat analysis stage.
Explore how TLCTC can provide the foundational threat event categories for a FAIR quantitative risk analysis.
Applying TLCTC as a high-level threat categorization layer for the TARA method in the automotive security standard.
How the LINDDUN privacy threat modeling framework can be complemented by the cyber threat perspective of TLCTC.
How the TLCTC framework helps organizations structure their approach to NIS2 compliance and incident reporting.
Using TLCTC to categorize ICT-related incidents for reporting under the Digital Operational Resilience Act.
This table maps techniques from the MITRE ATLAS...to the Top Level Cyber Threat Clusters (TLCTC) framework...
The Critical Distinction: System Risk Events vs. Data Risk Events - As Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), we frequently encounter confusion when discussing cyber risks....
The updated Enumeration V2.0 of the TLCTC framework and its significance for precise threat classification.
A practical decision tree to guide you through classifying cyber threats according to TLCTC.
TLCTC Framework vs. Existing Standards & Regulations - See it yourself
CWE Defines the "What", TLCTC Defines the "How": Understanding the Mapping Nuance.
Enhancing CVE Details with the TLCTC Framework: A Strategic Approach incl. json.
While OCTAVE pioneered organizational-focused security evaluation, TLCTC advances the field with structured, cause-based threat classification that integrates seamlessly with modern security frameworks.
A practical framework for integrating NIST NICE tasks with the 10 Top Level Cyber Threat Clusters (TLCTC) to bridge the gap between workforce development and real-world threats.
Explore, critique, and contribute. The TLCTC framework is an evolving standard. Your insights are valuable.
Work in Progress: This page is being updated. For definitive information, please consult the White Paper V1.9.1 [PDF Link].
