Security Operations Center (SOC)
A security operation center (SOC) is to continuously monitor and improve the security posture while also recognizing and responding to cyber threats.
A security operations center collects information from an organization’s IT infrastructure, which includes computers, applications, appliances, and data stores, regardless of where they are hosted.
Advanced threats require obtaining information from multiple sources. The SOC correlates every event logged within the monitored company. The security operation data center must consider how to manage and respond to each of these events.
Top 10 most important functions performed by Security operation center
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The security operation center is responsible for two types of assets: the various devices, operations, and applications that they are entrusted with protecting, and the defensive tools that they have at their command to enable securing this protection.
So, the security operation center should also have a complete awareness of all cybersecurity tools on hand and all SOC workflows. This improves speed and allows the SOC to operate at optimal performance.
Planning and Preventative Care
Even the most well-equipped and rapid response systems are ineffective in preventing problems from arising in the first place.
Monitoring
The system operation center’s proactive monitoring tools continuously search the network for anomalies or suspicious activity. Continuous network monitoring alerts the SOC to cyber threats, allowing them to avoid or minimize damage.
As a result, SIEMs and EDRs can reduce the amount of triage and analysis required by people using behavioral analysis.
Management and Alerts Ranking
The SOC must carefully examine all warnings from monitoring systems, filter out any false positives, and assess the threat level and potential targets. This helps them to priorities threats and respond to the most critical first.
Response to a Threat
These are the types of actions that come to mind when people think of the security Operations center. A SOC responds by conducting measures such as shutting down or isolating endpoints, stopping harmful programs (or preventing them from operating), deleting files, and other activities.
The objective is to respond to the extent necessary while causing the least disruption to business operations possible.
Restoration and Recovery
The SOC will seek to restore systems and recover any lost or compromised data after an incident. Wiping and restarting endpoints, changing plans, or deploying viable backups to avoid the infection in the case of cyberattacks. If this step is successful, the network will be restored to its pre-incident state.
Log Management
The SOC is responsible for collecting, preserving, and frequently analyzing the log of all network activities and communications for the whole enterprise. This data helps create a base for “normal” network activity, can show the existence of risks, and can be utilized for repair and investigations in the aftermath of an incident.
Many SOCs employ a SIEM to collect and correlate the data flows from apps, gateways, operating systems, and endpoints, producing their own internal logs.
Investigation of the Root Cause
The SOC is in charge of determining what, when, how, and why it happened in the aftermath of an attack.
During this analysis, the security operation center examines log data and other information to track the problem back to its source, which will assist them in preventing similar situations in the future.
Refinement and upgrading of security measures
Cybercriminals are continually refining their tools and software; the SOC must apply advancements daily to stay one step ahead.
The plans indicated in the Security Road Map are brought to life during this step. However, this refinement can also involve hands-on techniques like red-teaming and violet.
Safety Management
Many of the SOC’s processes are directed by best practices, but others are driven by compliance requirements. The security operation center is responsible for auditing their systems regularly to guarantee compliance with such conditions, which may be established by their company, industry, or regulating authorities.
Acting in line with these standards helps protect the sensitive data that the organization has been entrusted with. Still, it can also save the business from reputational harm and legal problems that may arise due to a violation.
