An abuse case is a structured narrative in cybersecurity that describes how a malicious actor could intentionally exploit or misuse an application or software system. Unlike traditional use cases that document legitimate user interactions, abuse cases systematically map out adversarial scenarios from an attacker's perspective, focusing on potential security vulnerabilities, unauthorized data access, system integrity compromises, and denial-of-service attempts.

Abuse cases serve as a foundational risk assessment tool that helps application and software security teams proactively identify design flaws, coding errors, and configuration weaknesses before they can be exploited. This analytical approach is essential for effective threat modeling, establishing robust security requirements, and prioritizing defensive measures to protect digital assets against evolving cyber threats.