The everyday life of a SOC Analyst |EC-Council Official Blog

The efficiency of the cybersecurity team relies on the strength of its sub-divisions working together. The security field is diverse and includes individuals from different streams like finance, legal, IT, and more. Every member plays a unique defined role that adds up to the overall performance of the cybersecurity industry. This article focuses on the day-to-day activities of a SOC Analyst.

With new attacks arising every day and the widening skill gap, it is not getting easier to be a SOC analyst. The existing practices of validating threat alerts and sharing them with the incident response team are not sufficient. SOC analysts are the first responders to cyber incidents. They analyze and report cyber threats and then follow the guidelines to protect an organization.

The daily life of a SOC Analyst in a Government enterprise

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. A SOC analyst is expected to read, understand, and notify cybersecurity threats. By default, a SOC Analyst has knowledge of malware analysis, networking, incident response, and cybersecurity practices.

10 Daily Tasks of a SOC Analyst

1.	Monitor and analyze network traffic for malicious activity.	6.	Coordinate with the intelligence team and incident response team to ensure proper communication of cyber threats that could impact network security.
2.	Compose security alert notifications.	7.	Monitor open source resources for malicious postings.
3.	Add, remove, or update IP addresses and domains.	8.	Understand/ differentiate intrusion attempts and false alarms.
4.	Monitor insider threats and performs APT detection.	9	Analyze vulnerabilities of undisclosed hardware and software.
5.	Respond to emails and phone calls to address notifications of cyber incidents.	10.	Investigate, document, and report on security issues.

A SOC analyst tends to exploits like brute force attack, cryptowall, etc. on a daily basis. Being a part of the Security Operations Center (SOC) means that every member’s role is challenging and rewarding too. The team addresses threats with a focus on incident handling and response. An analyst is expected to work quickly and efficiently on a large number of tickets, treating each one of them with the utmost care and responsibility. A SOC analyst knows perfectly the process of analyzing the attack and identifying the cause for it. By receiving accurate and informative feedback from SOC Analysts, an organization can resolve many threats before they realize it into breaches.

Join the first-line of defenders!

EC-Council’s Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) is a holistic program that emphasizes elementary and advanced knowledge of identifying and validating intrusion attempts. The program also encapsulates SIEM along with advanced and popular tools. You will be able to learn using SIEM solutions and predictive capabilities based on threat intelligence. After the completion of the program, you will be eligible to attempt the CSA Exam. Upon passing the exam with a minimum score of 70%, EC-Council entitles you with a CSA certification.

Faqs

What does a SOC team do?

A SOC team continuously monitors and analyzes the security infrastructure of an organization for any potential cyber threats lurking upon, or that might’ve already penetrated the existing security layer.

How can I become a good SOC Analyst?

To be a SOC Analyst, you should be qualified and skilled. Along with certification, there are few skills required for the role.