Human-centered threat modeling (HCTM) is an emerging area within security and privacy research that focuses on how people define and navigate threats in various social, cultural, and technological contexts. While researchers increasingly approach threat modeling from a human-centered perspective, little is known about how they prepare for and engage with HCTM in practice. In this work, we conduct 23 semi-structured interviews with researchers to examine the state of HCTM, including how researchers design studies, elicit threats, and navigate values, constraints, and long-term goals. We find that HCTM is not a prescriptive process but a set of evolving practices shaped by relationships with participants, disciplinary backgrounds, and institutional structures. Researchers approach threat modeling through sustained groundwork and participant-centered inquiry, guided by values such as care, justice, and autonomy. They also face challenges including emotional strain, ethical dilemmas, and structural barriers that complicate efforts to translate findings into real-world impact. We conclude by identifying opportunities to advance HCTM through shared infrastructure, broader recognition of diverse contributions, and stronger mechanisms for translating findings into policy, design, and societal change.

翻译：以人为中心的威胁建模（HCTM）是安全与隐私研究中的一个新兴领域，聚焦于人们如何在不同的社会、文化和技术背景下定义并应对威胁。尽管研究者日益从以人为中心的视角开展威胁建模，但对其在实践中的准备与实施方式仍知之甚少。本研究通过对23位研究者进行半结构化访谈，探讨了HCTM的现状，包括研究者如何设计研究、识别威胁，并在价值观、约束条件和长期目标之间进行权衡。我们发现，HCTM并非一套既定流程，而是一系列动态演进的实践，其形态受研究者与参与者的关系、学科背景及制度结构的影响。研究者通过持续的基础工作和以参与者为中心的调查来开展威胁建模，并以关怀、公正和自主等价值观为指导。同时，他们也面临情感压力、伦理困境和结构性障碍等挑战，这些因素使得研究成果转化为实际影响的过程更为复杂。最后，我们提出了推动HCTM发展的机遇，包括构建共享基础设施、更广泛认可多元贡献，以及建立更有效的机制以将研究发现转化为政策、设计和社会变革。