Role And Responsibilities of a SOC Analyst

A Security Operation Center Analyst is primarily responsible for all activities that occur within the SOC. Analysts in Security Operations work with Security Engineers and SOC Managers to give situational awareness via detection, containment, and remediation of IT threats. With the increment in cyber threats and hacks, businesses are becoming more vulnerable to threats. This has significantly enhanced the importance of a SOC Analyst. For those in cybersecurity, it can be a dynamic role. SOC Analysts cooperate with other team members to detect and respond to information security incidents, develop and follow security events such as alerts, and engage in security investigations.

Furthermore, SOC Analysts analyze and react to undisclosed hardware and software vulnerabilities. They also examine reports on security issues and act as ‘security advisors’ for an organization.

What is the key role of SOC?

• Security Analyst: Security Analysts ensures that the proper training is in place and that staff follow procedures and policies. Security Analysts work together with the internal IT team and business administrators to communicate about security limitations and produce documentation or reports. The average salary of a Security Analyst is 6 lakh per year ( Resource: Glassdoor). At the moment of writing this blog Netapp, PayU, and VMware are hiring for Security Analyst position ( Resource: LinkedIn).
• Security Engineer/ Architect: They maintain and suggest monitoring and analysis tools. They build a security architecture and work with developers to secure this architecture. They can be a software or hardware specialist who gives appropriate attention to security aspects when producing information systems. They produce tools and solutions that allow organizations to respond efficiently to attacks. A Security Engineer can earn an average 7.48 lakh per year( Resource: Glassdoor). Currently Biz2Credit ,PhonePe , and Amazon are hiring for a Security Engineer( Resource: LinkedIn).
• SOC Manager: The SOC Manager manages the security operations team and reports to the CISO (Chief Information Security Officer). They control the security team, give technical guidance, and also maintain financial activities. The SOC Manager supervises the activities of the SOC team, including hiring, training, and assessing staff. A SOC Manager can earn 44 lakh per year( Resource: Glassdoor). Currently KPMG, Kotak Life, and Accenture are hiring for SOC Manager positions ( Resource: LinkedIn).
• CISO: They define the security operations of the organization. They interact with management about security issues and compliance tasks. The CISO gives a final look at policies, strategies, and procedures relating to the organization’s cybersecurity. They also have a primary role in compliance, risk management, and implement policies to meet particular security demands. A CISO can earn 52 lakh per year( Resource: Glassdoor). For CISO position you can visit the following link: https://www.naukri.com/ciso-jobs

Responsibilities of SOC Team:

• Tier 1: Monitor user activity, network events and signals from security tools to identify events. Tier 1 SOC Analyst is responsible for determining which alerts and other abnormal activity represent real threats.
• Tier 2: Remediate attacks intensified from Tier 1 Analysts. Their job is to collect data for more analysis, evaluate the attack, identify the root of the attack, implement required security actions to counter the attack, and restore system operations. They are also responsible for investigating and generating reports on information security issues.
• Tier 3: Work proactively to explore the weaknesses in IT infrastructure. They perform penetration tests and review vulnerability assessments. Another key responsibility is to maintain security systems up to date and contribute to ongoing security approaches to secure the organization against further attacks.

Required skills for a SOC Analyst:

Technical Skill

• Knowledge of SIEM (Security Information and Event Management)
• Familiar with SQL, C, C++, C#, Java, or PHP programming languages
• TCP/IP, computer networking, routing, and switching
• IDS/IPS, penetration and vulnerability testing
• Firewall and intrusion detection/prevention protocols
• Windows, UNIX, and Linux operating systems
• Network protocols and packet analysis tools
• Anti-virus and anti-malware

Non-technical Skill

• Critical thinking and problem-solving abilities
• Capability to communicate and listen to needs from organizational stakeholders

How to become a certified SOC Analyst?

CSA (Certified SOC analyst) certification is the best certification from the EC council for the Security Operation Center. This training and credentialing help the candidate acquire trending and in-depth skills, which helps gain more clear opportunities to work in the SOC team. Infosec Train provides instructor-led training for CSA. If you want to get CSA certification, you can check and enroll in our CERTIFIED SOC ANALYST (CSA) Certification Training to prepare for the certification exam.

AUTHOR
Aakanksha Tyagi ( )
Infosec Train

“ Aakanksha Tyagi is pursuing her Master's degree in Information Security and Management. She works with full dedication and enjoys working on Information Security blogs. Currently, Aakanksha is working as a content writer in Infosec Train. “