As our sensitive information is increasingly digitized (if not entirely digital), cybercrime is likewise on the rise. For most organizations, their security operations center (SOC) analysts, fill the role of digital watchdogs as they monitor and audit a company’s existing system for breaches.
If you’re at all familiar with the field of cybersecurity, that job description may sound fitting for other roles too, and it’s a frequent point of confusion—how does an SOC analyst differ from, say, a cybersecurity analyst or a penetration tester?
That’s why we’ve compiled this guide. Below, we’ll detail what an SOC analyst is, what they do, and how to become one yourself.
What Is a Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst?
An SOC analyst is a person who works on a team to monitor, analyze, and respond to security issues. The main goal of SOC analysts is to prevent attacks on a network. They monitor the network for signs of an attack. Once an attack has been detected, they investigate it with other team members.
What Does an SOC Analyst Do?
An SOC analyst is responsible for monitoring and auditing the company’s systems. They also monitor network activity and ensure that no suspicious activities are happening. The SOC Analyst also works with other departments of the company, such as human resources or sales, to ensure that their systems are secure. If someone in one of those departments has an issue with their work computer, it will be up to the SOC analyst to correct it.
Here are a few of the responsibilities SOC analysts have:
Surveillance of an Organization’s Networks and Systems
An SOC analyst’s role is to monitor an organization’s IT infrastructure. This includes monitoring security systems, applications, and networks for any irregularities that may indicate a breach or attack.
Identifies, Assesses, and Mitigates Security Threats in Real-Time
When the SOC analyst identifies a threat, they will work with their team to determine what caused the anomaly within the system and how they can prevent it from happening again.
Incident Response and Investigation
Suppose an incident needs further investigation or action taken by law enforcement agencies. In that case, the SOC analyst will work with other team members to investigate the incident further before reporting to law enforcement agencies if necessary.
After investigating each incident thoroughly, they will also report any new knowledge gained about existing cyber threats or vulnerabilities within their network so that future incidents can be prevented, if possible, through updates applied immediately.
