Become a SOC Analyst: Job Role, Salary, and CSA Certification

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A SOC Analyst’s career begins from entry level SOC role where the primary duty is ensuring security of the organization’s digital assets from unauthorized access. A SOC Analyst is responsible for mitigating risks, identifying suspicious activity, and protecting online and on-site IT infrastructures. SOC Analysts stand as the first line of defense, counter-attacking an incident. Additionally, SOC Analysts generate reports for IT administrators to contribute to the effectiveness of current security protocols. To do this, the SOC Analyst must have up-to-date knowledge and skills of the latest hacking practices and tactics, current intelligence, and methods to prevent threats and breaches.

What does SOC stand for?

“A security operations center (SOC) is a facility that houses an information security team responsible for monitoring and analyzing an organization’s security posture on an ongoing basis. The SOC team’s goal is to detect, analyze, and respond to cybersecurity incidents using a combination of technology solutions and a strong set of processes. Security operations centers are typically staffed with security analysts and engineers as well as managers who oversee security operations,” – Digital Guardian

The salary of a SOC Analyst

The minimum salary of a SOC Analyst is $50k and the maximum is $97k; the average salary of a SOC Analyst is $71k.

Roles and responsibilities of an entry-level SOC Analyst

Perform threat analysis
Monitor network for malicious activity
Perform risk analysis, security assessments, and vulnerability testing
Maintain log analysis
Application/ mobile security
Vulnerability scanning in software and hardware
Coordinate with other analysts and departments for network security
Investigate, document, and report all security issues
Implement and maintain security protocols
Involved in security audits – internal and external
Anticipate threats and alerts to avoid their occurrence
Coordinate with vendors on security plans
Analyse breaches to determine their root cause

Pre-requisite to get into SOC Level 1 –

Claim skills

Technical skills

Jobs to apply

Certifications

Knowledge of security policies

Administrating network firewalls

Training other network users on security protocols

Troubleshooting skills

Flexibly available when required

Identifying security areas that need to be improved

SQL

TCP/IP, routing and switching

Knowledge of programming languages like C, C++, Java, PHP, C#, etc.

Windows, Unix and Linux operating systems

Knowledge of anti-virus

Security information and even management (SIEM)

Firewall prevention protocols

SOC Analyst

Information Security Analyst

IT Security Analyst

Cyber threat analyst

A technical degree

Certified SOC Analyst (C|SA)

Those looking to pursue their career as SOC Analysts must have analytical and good communication skills. They must be up to date with the latest technology and security trends. The candidates should be prepared to sift through a vast amount of information flowing in and out of the organization to identify threats or fix security issues.

Do you want to become a SOC Analyst?

Join Certified SOC Analyst program from EC-Council. This program acts as the first step to joining the Security Operations Center (SOC) team. C|SA is a three-day program that covers the fundamentals of SOC operations and other related processes that are mandatory to match the job profile. The program focuses on creating new career opportunities through extensive, meticulous knowledge to contribute to a SOC team with enhanced level capabilities.

Faqs

What are the daily responsibilities of a SOC Analyst?

A SOC analyst monitors networks scouring for malicious activity. The job requires an eye for detail and a general awareness of all cybersecurity concepts. As a SOC Analyst, the individual works on IDS alerts, network logs, suspicious emails, etc. that are related to an entity’s network logs. Read more: Everyday life of a SOC Analyst

How do I become a SOC Analyst?

Security operations analysts are the first people responsible for ensuring the protection of digital assets from unauthorized access, both online and on-premise. The primary responsibility is to identify, secure, and weed out the threats as front-line defense personnel. Read more: Skills required to be a SOC Analyst

How do you create a SOC team?

A security operations center (SOC) is responsible for monitoring and analyzing an organization’s security posture regularly. The main purpose of the team is to detect, analyze, and respond to cybersecurity incidents. The team is staffed with security analysts (SOC analysts) and managers who oversee security. Here is how a SOC team can be created – Are you the right choice for a SOC team?