How can SOC teams effectively respond to cyberattacks? Why is a well-prepared incident response plan crucial for cybersecurity professionals?

In an era where digital threats are increasing day-by-day, businesses find a way to deal with these cyber-threats before the issue becomes serious. The answer is simple and direct, establish a centralized Security Operations Center (SOC).

SOC is the backbone of any organization that monitors, detects, and responds to security incidents in real-time. The functions of SOC are vital for every organization as they want to stay safe, secure, and compliant.

Doesn’t matter from which background you come, learning and understanding SOC and its function is essential to stay ahead in the cybersecurity landscape.

Without a further delay! Let’s dive into the blog and learn the key functions of Security Operation Center (SOC).

SOC functions

What are SOC functions?

SOC functions refer to the important tasks that are performed by Security Operations Center to protect an organization from cyber threats. These include threat monitoring, incident response, vulnerability management, security information and event management, threat intelligence integration, security automation and orchestration, compliance monitoring, log management and analysis, 24×7 security monitoring, and forensics and root cause analysis.

Together, these functions help keep the organization’s data safe and ensure a strong cybersecurity posture.

As you got a brief understanding about what are SOC functions, now let’s begin by learning all the important functions of SOC.

Threat Monitoring

Threat Monitoring is an important function of Security Operation Center (SOC). It mainly focuses on real-time monitoring of an organization’s systems, logs, and networks to find any strange activities or behavior. In simple words, it means that cybersecurity professionals are constantly watching the IT environment to detect issues early- before they turn into a serious problem.

To do this effectively, SOC teams depend on tools such as SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) and IDS/IPS (Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems).

SIEM Tool: Collect and examine data from different platforms to find anything suspicious.

IDS/IPS Tool:  Helps in detecting or blocking the harmful traffic.

Incident Response

Incident Response is a very sensitive and crucial part of Security Operation Center (SOC). When any cyber-attacks happen like a malware attack, hacking attempt, or data breach- the SOC team must take an immediate action to control and fix the issue. This process starts with identifying, checking how serious it is, try to stop it from spreading, and then repair the systems.

To manage this smoothly, the SOC teams use an incident response strategy that includes playbooks and predefined incident response plans.

A playbook acts like a guide that provides you instructions on how to handle different types of security incidents. This helps the SOC team to act quicker and avoid silly mistakes.

Vulnerability Management

Vulnerability Management is an essential job of a Security Operations Center (SOC). It involves a regular checking of the systems and software for weaknesses through vulnerability scanning. There is a chance that these weaknesses which are known as vulnerabilities, can be used by hackers to break into the system. So, the SOC spot them and fixes the issue.

Once a weakness is found, the team uses patch management to fix the issue by updating the software or applying a security patch. But if any case the problem is serious than others, then the team uses risk-based prioritization. This means they fix the most serious problems first.

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

SIEM stands for Security Information and Event Management. It acts just like the brain of Security Operation Center. It helps the team see what’s happening across the network by collecting and analysing logs and data across different systems such as servers, firewalls, and applications.

This helps the security team to respond faster to any cyber-threat that have the potential to cause damage in future. This helps in recording all the data in one place which makes it easier to monitor everything, find out threats, and make quicker decisions.

Threat Intelligence Integration

Threat Intelligence Integration refers to using the information from both internal and external sources to improve the security. This threat intelligence involves data about known attack techniques, malicious IP addresses, or dangerous files. External cyber threat feeds give updated information from global security networks, whereas internal data comes from the organization’s own monitoring and past incidents.

When SOC teams combine all the information, they can add more context to alerts, making it easier to understand and choose the correct response. This helps the security to react faster, reduce false alarms, and better protection against new cyberattacks.

Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR)

SOAR stands for Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response. SOAR helps the security teams to work faster and more accurately by using technology to handle repetitive tasks. In simple words, SOAR helps the SOC teams to act smarter, at a faster pace, and with less human efforts during incident response.

This helps us automate the tasks like answering to the alerts, collecting data, or blocking suspicious users. This helps in saving time and helps the team to pay attention to more serious problems.  SOAR follows a playbook to respond to the threat at a quicker pace. This reduces the pressure on analysts and helps save some time.

Compliance Monitoring and Reporting

Compliance Monitoring and Reporting is about making sure an organization follows the regulatory standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, OR ISO. The security teams keep track of security controls, policies, and processes to make sure they meet these requirements. This compliance work helps avoid legal penalties and build trust with clients and partners.

A huge part of the job is being prepared for audits keeping detailed records and creating accurate audit reports. These reports give evidence that the organizations are following legal standards. With proper compliance monitoring, the businesses can stay safe and secure, meet the legal requirements, and maintain a solid reputation.

Log Management and Analysis

Log Management and Analysis simply involves collecting, storing, and analysing data from various different sources such as applications, systems, and networks devices. These logs help in keeping the records of important events such as login attempt, system changes, and network activity, and are an important part of log management in a SOC.

Proper analysis of log is crucial for forensics, as it helps investigators understand what happened during a security incident. It also meets data retention rules by keeping logs secure for future checks or audits. By having a good managed log, SOC teams can detect threats, trace incidents, and maintain compliance with security standards.

24×7 Security Monitoring

24×7 Security Monitoring is about keeping continuous surveillance to make sure there is continuous protection. There is no specific time for any threat to occur, it can happen anytime- so, round-the-clock coverage is a key part of cybersecurity operations.

To make this happen, companies may use shift-based SOC teams who work in rotation or partner with managed SOC services that provide experts monitoring the environment 24/7.

Forensics and Root Cause Analysis

Forensics and Root Cause Analysis are essential parts of cybersecurity operations in a Security Operations Center (SOC). When a security incident occurs, forensics means collecting and studying digital evidence from computers, networks, and devices to understand exactly what happened.

This helps in identifying the attacker’s technique, any Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) and how much damage was done. Once the evidence is gathered, root cause analysis is performed to check the original source of issue. By combining forensics and root cause analysis, the SOC teams can not only resolve the current issue but also strengthen defenses and stop similar cyberattacks from happening again.

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Conclusion

Understanding the key SOC functions is not just about protecting systems but to build strong SOC analyst skills that can make you an important part of any cyber defense strategy. From threat monitoring to forensics, each function of SOC just adds to your expertise and value in the field. By improving these abilities, you can grow a strong and future-proof career in cybersecurity.