Threat Modeling of Age-Restricted Content Access Systems: A Cybersecurity Perspective

Abstract

The popularity of the use of online video streaming services has created an amplified fear on the issue of under-age viewers viewing age restricted content. The current methods of age-gating, self-stated date of birth, parental PINs, and document verification offer partial protection and can be easily overcome. This paper discusses the concept of age-restricted access systems through the cybersecurity lens and formulates the systematized threat model based on the STRIDE methodology. Client devices, networks, applications, and human interaction points are all considered through attack surfaces to determine the threats like spoofing, tampering, repudiation, information disclosure, and adversarial automation. It proposes a layered defense architecture comprising of authentication hardening, behavioral analytics, and privacy-preserving verification. The article highlights the importance of standard security assessment models to achieve efficient security protection of minors in online entertainment systems.