Security by Design: A Risk-Based Framework for Cybersecurity Compliance and Critical Infrastructure Protection

Traditional compliance-centric cybersecurity approaches struggle to keep pace with evolving threats, often prioritizing retrospective audits over proactive risk mitigation. This paper introduces an integrated risk management framework that operationalizes Security by Design (SbD) principles through automated compliance validation and continuous threat modeling. The research employs a rigorous three-phase methodology comprising exploratory interviews with security professionals, iterative framework development, and empirical validation. By harmonizing technical controls (e.g., STRIDE threat modeling, Policy-as-Code) with governance structures, the framework bridges the gap between regulatory requirements and actionable security practices. Empirical case studies across financial services, healthcare, and critical infrastructure sectors demonstrate a 54% reduction in critical vulnerabilities, 50% faster compliance documentation, and 39% lower incident response costs—validating the economic and operational benefits of embedding security early in the development lifecycle. These findings challenge the prevailing "checkbox compliance" mindset, offering organizations a scalable model to achieve both cyber resilience and regulatory adherence.