Cybersecurity: Know More, Do More
A security operations center (SOC) is a centralized data collection location where an information security team monitors, detects, analyzes and responds to cybersecurity incidents, typically on a 24/7/365 basis. That can also be referred to as an information security operations center (ISOC)
The SOC security team is built around a combination of security analysts, engineers, and threat hunters that oversee all activity within an environment (i.e. servers, databases, networks, applications, endpoint devices, websites and other systems). Their one goal is to pinpointing potential security threats, isolate, and remediate them out of the environment as quickly as possible. In addition, they monitor relevant external security services, threat board activities, and events that may affect the organization’s security posture.
A SOC must not only identify threats, but analyze them, investigate the source, report on any vulnerabilities discovered and plan how to prevent similar occurrences in the future. In other words, they’re dealing with security problems in real time, while continually seeking ways to improve the organization’s security posture.
A SOC is responsible for two types of assets: the various devices, processes, and applications it is responsible for protecting, and the defense tools it has in place to ensure that protection.
Even the most well-equipped and agile response processes cannot prevent problems from occurring in the first place. To keep attackers at bay, the SOC implements preventative measures.
The tools used by the SOC scan the network 24/7 to flag anomalies and suspicious activity. By monitoring your network around the clock, your SOC can immediately notify you of new threats, giving you the best chance of preventing or mitigating damage. Monitoring tools can include SIEM and EDR as well as SOAR and XDR. The most advanced tools can use behavioral analytics to “teach” the system the difference between normal day-to-day behavior and actual threat behavior, minimizing the volume. Triage and analysis that a human should do.
When monitoring tools issue alerts, the SOC is responsible for vetting each alert, discarding false positives, and determining how aggressive the actual threat is and targeting it. This allows you to properly investigate new threats and deal with the most urgent issues first.
These are the actions that most people think of when they think of SOC. Once an incident is confirmed, the SOC acts as a first responder and takes actions such as shutting down or isolating endpoints, terminating (or preventing the execution of) harmful processes, and deleting files. The goal is to be as responsive as possible while minimizing the impact on business continuity.
After an incident, SOC works to restore systems and recover lost or compromised data. This may include wiping and restarting endpoints, reconfiguring systems, or deploying a backup to prevent ransomware in the event of a ransomware attack. If this method is successful, the network will return to the state before the incident.
The SOC is responsible for collecting, maintaining and regularly reviewing reports on network and communication activities throughout the organization. This data helps define a baseline of “normal” network activity, identifies threats, and can be used for post-incident remediation and forensics. Many SOCs use SIEM to collect and correlate data feeds from applications, firewalls, operating systems, and endpoints. They all generate their own internal logs.
After an incident, the SOC is responsible for knowing exactly what happened, when, how and why it happened. During this investigation, the SOC uses log data and other information to trace the cause of the problem. This will help prevent similar problems in the future.
Cybercriminals are constantly improving their tools and tactics. To move forward, SOCs must implement continuous improvement. This phase provides the programs outlined in the security roadmap, but the reform may also include practical actions such as red and purple teams.
Many SOC processes are based on established best practices, while others are governed by compliance requirements. SOCs are responsible for regular audits of their systems to ensure compliance with regulations issued by the organization, industry or governing body. Examples of these regulations include GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. Complying with these regulations not only helps companies protect the sensitive data entrusted to them, but also protects organizations from reputational damage and legal issues arising from non-compliance.
People outside your organization will host, handle, and maintain data on your behalf. The sub-processor will have access to your sensitive information, which leaves you vulnerable to data breaches.
A Security Operations Center (SOC) is an internal organization that uses people, processes, and technology to continuously monitor and improve the organization’s security posture while preventing, detecting, analyzing, and responding to cybersecurity incidents.
A SOC acts like a hub or central command post, receiving telemetry from an organization’s IT infrastructure (networks, devices, devices, data stores, etc.), regardless of where those assets are located. The proliferation of advanced threats makes gathering context from multiple sources critical. Essentially, the SOC is a point of correlation for all events logged in the monitored organization. For each of these events, the SOC must decide how to manage and react to them.
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A security operations center (SOC) is a centralized data collection location where an information security team monitors, detects, analyzes and responds to cybersecurity incidents.
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