A Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst is responsible for ensuring the information security of organizations as an expert who detects, analyzes, and takes necessary actions against cybersecurity incidents. Their main responsibilities include investigating alerts generated by security products to determine whether they are true positives or false positives, analyzing the scope and impact of attacks, and taking the necessary actions to protect the organization's digital assets.
In order to be successful, a SOC analyst needs to possess a range of soft skills as well as technical skills. These include critical skills such as analytical thinking, problem-solving ability, decision-making skills, communication, and teamwork. In addition, traits such as temporal awareness, attention to detail, stress management, critical thinking, and reliability are also essential for this role. These soft skills enable a SOC analyst to not only detect cyber threats but also to respond to them quickly and effectively. The ability to continuously learn and adapt is also critical, as they work in a field where cyber threats are constantly evolving.
A Security Operations Center (SOC) analyst is a cybersecurity personnel who is responsible for monitoring and protecting all information security data of organizations and companies. Their primary responsibility is to detect, analyze, and take action on cybersecurity incidents to prevent breaches and mitigate risks. SOC Analysts are part of the SOC (Security Operation Center) team where they use various security tools and technologies, especially SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) to detect and analyze various cyber attacks. This team monitors network traffic, logs collected from users and systems, and alerts generated by various security products to detect anomalies and malicious actions.
When an alert is detected in security products, SOC analysts start to analyze the related alert. First of all, they check whether the alert is a true positive or a false positive. Then, they determine the risk level of the alert. Accordingly, they accelerate the actions to be taken or check other alerts that are of higher importance. In these reviews, they examine the scope and impact of the attack in detail. When the investigations are completed, they take the necessary actions for the alert or have the relevant teams take them. These actions include isolating the affected systems from the network, deleting the malware, and passing the necessary security patches.
In addition, SOC analysts create incident response plans for future incidents. They also follow cybersecurity trends and must stay up to date on threat intelligence. They also collaborate with IT and other security teams to improve the overall security policies of companies/organizations.
Overall, SOC analysts play a vital role in protecting the digital assets of companies/organizations and maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of systems against constantly evolving cyber threats.
In order to be successful in their careers, SOC analysts must be good at some soft skills in addition to their technical skills. These soft skills are important as they enable them to work effectively throughout the organization. The soft skills that SOC analysts should have are shared in detail below.
SOC analysts investigate the alerts they detect in the structures and take the necessary actions. Sometimes, they need to communicate with different teams during the process of taking action. Therefore, a SOC analyst is expected to communicate effectively, as the technical details in the alert should be explained effectively to different teams. This ensures that no mistakes are made regarding the actions to be taken. In addition, SOC analysts are also responsible for keeping track of current vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities need to be remediated by the teams. Therefore, the details of the vulnerability should be reported and communicated to the teams. In this process, the better the communication, the smoother the processes will be.
In addition, SOC analysts are also responsible for reporting incidents that occur in companies or organizations and then conveying the scope and details of the incident to their managers. Therefore, they should have good communication skills on both technical and non-technical issues while reporting the case to their managers.
SOC analysts are part of the Security Operation Center (SOC) team. This team includes cyber security employees working in many different fields. They should work in harmony with each other to protect the digital data of companies or organizations in a healthy way. For example, red team personnel test whether companies/institutions are affected by the latest vulnerabilities. During these tests, alerts are expected to occur in security products. If they do not communicate with the SOC analysts in advance, these alerts can be considered as attacks. Therefore, the teams should work in harmony with each other.
It is not only SOC analysts and red team personnel who should work in harmony. This is because if alerts do not occur in the systems as a result of these tests, there is a problem either in logging or in detection rules. During these processes, both SOC analysts and detection engineers should work together in a coordinated manner. If there is a missing log, it is necessary to contact the teams managing that system. The relevant teams should be informed about the technical expectations in a healthy manner.
SOC analysts often work closely with other IT and security teams such as network administrators, system administrators, and application developers. Effective communication is essential to ensure everyone is on the same page, especially during incident response. Analysts must be able to clearly explain security concerns and action plans to provide quick and coordinated responses to threats.
These tests can help detect that some systems are affected by vulnerabilities. In order for the alerts generated during this detection process to be properly investigated and understood by the team managing the affected system, SOC analysts must write a report. The content of these reports must be technically understandable by various teams. If it is not understood, the SOC analyst should be contacted and the problem should be resolved through teamwork. Therefore, teamwork is critical in the processes of creating, analyzing, and responding to alerts in the systems.
SOC analysts must have the ability to think critically in order to make a decision in alert reviews. Because it is necessary to objectively analyze and evaluate the information contained in the alert. SOC analysts check many alerts during the day, some of which are false positives for various reasons. The analysts should not waste too much time on these false positive alerts. Therefore, critical thinking skills will reduce this time.
Once the true positive alerts are detected, these alerts should be analyzed and acted upon in a healthy way as soon as possible. Critical thinking skills will help analysts to quickly assess and understand the situation, and determine the scope of the case and its impact. This skill will ensure that the damage caused by the case is minimized. Because analysts are racing against time during the case review process. Cyber threats often exhibit patterns or behaviors that may indicate an attack. Critical thinking enables analysts to recognize these patterns and take preventive measures.
SOC analysts are often under a lot of pressure during case reviews. In a high-pressure SOC environment, decisions must be made confidently and quickly. Critical thinking will help to evaluate all available information, consider possible outcomes, and make decisions that effectively mitigate potential risks.
One of the most important parts of a case for SOC analysts is to understand the root cause of the case. Because understanding the root cause will prevent similar attacks in the future. Critical thinking will help analysts to examine the events to their origins and to identify the underlying security vulnerability.
Problem-solving skills are very important because SOC analysts are constantly performing alert analysis in their daily routines. This skill allows them to analyze complex problems and come up with new solutions under pressure. Problem-solving starts with analyzing the alerts generated in security products. This requires not only technical knowledge, but also critical thinking, creative thinking, and teamwork. Analysts must assess the situation, gather relevant data, and interpret it correctly to understand the nature of the threat.
Problem-solving, containment, and mitigation processes begin once threats are identified. SOC analysts preserve the evidence for similar cases in the future. In addition, problem-solving is essential for SOC analysts to determine what went wrong, how it was handled, and what needs to be improved. The process of continuous learning is an essential characteristic of blue teams. They reduce cybersecurity risks by keeping themselves constantly up to date and they reduce problem-solving time. Effective problem-solving for a SOC analyst is a combination of technical expertise, analytical thinking, and the ability to stay calm and focused during a crisis.
Paying attention to even the smallest details is one of the most critical skills for SOC analysts. Because the traces of the attacker are usually hidden in the details in case investigations. Especially in cases where the attackers are experienced, they often proceed by destroying the evidence of their own. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze even the smallest details in order to solve the case.
The slightest detail that the SOC analysts check at in the investigations can cause the scope of the incident to expand. This skill is very important for early detection of incidents and rapid response. For example, SOC analysts routinely check network traffic and various logs while conducting investigations. Sometimes the attackers are detected not directly by the activity or the command they execute, but by the unusual behavior they exhibit. An example of such a situation is when a SOC analyst staff sees that the user logs in with an IP from a different country during off-hours. Because the SOC analyst will also look at the user's authentication traffic in such a case. In cases where brute force cannot be detected in security products, such small details will contribute greatly to the solution.
SOC analysts should write all the checks performed from the first stage of the alert to the last stage and the logs obtained in their report in detail. This documentation is vital not only for reporting but also for legal processes. A well-documented case will provide great convenience to the personnel who will conduct the second inspection in case of a re-examination in the future. It will also facilitate audits.
In addition, paying attention to small details is not only useful when reviewing alerts. Small details in the rules to be written in products such as SIEM will ensure that the alert does not lose performance. Some rules can be poorly written, affecting the performance of SIEM. This sometimes causes logs to arrive at the SIEM late. As a result, alerts are generated late due to late logs, resulting in late intervention in critical cases. To avoid such situations, SOC analysts should pay attention to small details in the phase of logging, detection rule writing, and during the alert review.
The world of cybersecurity is constantly evolving and changing. As a result, SOC analysts must constantly improve and stay current. This makes adaptability a critical skill for SOC analysts. Cyber threats are constantly changing and evolving and attackers are developing new techniques, tools, and strategies to overcome defenses. Therefore, SOC analysts must be able to adapt to change in order to analyze new and evolving attacks in a healthy way. A person who is not open to change cannot be a SOC analyst. As a SOC team, adaptability means being flexible in the face of new challenges. SOC analysts are expected to be able to switch to different roles within the SOC team. Therefore, there are structures such as L1, L2, and L3 within the SOC team. For example, if a person continues their career as a SOC analyst and develops in the area of rule writing, they can continue their career as a detection engineer if the structure allows it. In order to make this change, the ability of that person to adapt to new conditions should be at a high level.
In addition, SOC analysts often need to know many different products or technologies due to the structure they are in. Therefore, new security tools and technologies are sometimes added to the structures. Adaptability is important for getting used to these products. As organizations invest in their security infrastructure or implement new security solutions, SOC analysts are expected to learn these tools quickly and integrate them into their daily routines. Whether it is mastering a new SIEM platform or understanding the latest threat intelligence feeds, the ability to quickly grasp and effectively utilize new technologies is essential. For these reasons, it is important for the SOC analysts to be adaptable.
SOC analysts work in environments with high stress levels due to their duties and responsibilities. Therefore, a SOC analyst is expected to have a very high level of stress management. In cases where they fail to do this, they cannot analyze alerts correctly and in a healthy manner and may miss details of information, which will decrease the motivation of the team and themselves. It should be noted that the SOC team is the first team to respond to cyber attacks. Demotivated employees also pose a risk to the company. These people, who need to be constantly alert and make quick decisions, may make wrong or slow decisions in such situations.
One of the sources of stress in this field is the need to quickly assess and respond to alerts. Since these threats are often complex and sophisticated, they can cause data breaches or system outages as a result of attacks. Such situations increase the pressure on analysts. In addition, analyzing whether alerts are true positives or false positives during the review process can be stressful. The process of communicating the results of the attack to managers or customers after reviewing the true positive alerts can also be stressful.
Also, SOC analysts are expected to be good at stress management because when explaining the process to a manager in a structure affected by the case, there may be mutual tension. Managers usually seek to find a culprit in such situations and they can make various accusations against SOC analysts as they are in contact with you. For example, they may ask various questions such as why the alert was reported late, why such an alert occurred, or why vulnerability patches were not passed.
It can be said that time is the primary opponent of SOC analysts during alert review. It is necessary to first understand whether an alert is true positive or false positive. Then, if it is true positive, it is necessary to determine how much it has spread in the network. The spread of the attacker must be prevented as soon as possible. Therefore, time management is crucial. Effective time management allows SOC analysts to prioritize tasks, manage their workload efficiently, and focus on different issues.
However, alerts that occur in the SOC do not have the same severity. Analysts encounter many alerts from low severity to critical severity during the day. Time management starts with prioritizing tasks. SOC analysts are primarily expected to deal with high-severity alerts. SOC analysts should quickly assess the importance and potential impact of each alert and take quick action accordingly. SOC analysts are sometimes expected to investigate more than one alert at the same time. Because different teams are expected to respond or react to an alert in some investigations. They are expected to deal with a different alert during this process. In this way, alerts that occur in SIEM are resolved quickly. Sometimes, while dealing with an alert with a very high severity, a critical (ransomware) level alert may occur as well. If the risk potential of the alert is not very high, it is expected to switch to the other alert immediately. The important thing here is not the number of alerts handled but the effectiveness of the alert. To make such decisions, the SOC analyst must have good time management skills.
Cyber security is a field that is constantly evolving and changing. A new tool or a new attack technique emerges every day, especially on the attack side. SOC analysts are expected to be open to continuous development in order to cope with such threats. SOC analysts should understand that what they know today will not be valid tomorrow if they do not stay current. SOC analysts should be constantly informed about emerging cyber threats, vulnerabilities, and techniques used by attackers. These techniques include the latest malware, current phishing attacks, and CTI.
Continuous learning includes the development of analytical skills. This development enables the analyst to analyze the alerts more accurately. It is useful not only for analysis but also for writing rules for the detection of anomalies in the network. In addition to analytical development, this skill will also allow the analyst to keep up with new tools and new technologies, as new products are constantly being introduced in the SOC. Therefore, they should be able to learn the use of new products in a short period of time. These security products may be a new SIEM (Security Information and Event Management), EDR, or XDR. Cyber security regulations and standards are updated periodically. SOC analysts need to be aware of these changes and analyze how these changes will affect the structures of companies and organizations.
Presentation skills are a very important soft skill for SOC analysts. Because they are involved in many critical meetings or organizations due to their duties. In these meetings, they need to explain their work and what they are going to do to their managers or clients in a good manner. Today, how you explain it is more important than what you do, regardless of the field. In such meetings, they need to inform the authorities on both technical and non-technical issues.
For example, a SOC analyst can analyze the incident very well and ensure that the necessary actions are taken on time. They can ensure that the organization or company survives the incident with minimal damage. However, if they are not competent enough when explaining this to the authorities, they cannot fully convey what they do. This causes the authorities not to fully understand the importance of what he/she has always done. They should present the root cause of the incident, the deficiencies in the teams or the structure, and the actions to be taken to avoid such problems in the future to the authorities in a good manner. If there is a deficiency in this presentation, the necessary actions will not be taken for the case. To summarize, since SOC analysts often act as a bridge between the technical part of cyber security and the non-technical part, their presentation skills are often critically important.
It can be concluded that SOC analysts play a critical role in the cyber security defense line of organizations. As the complexity and diversity of cyber threats increase, the technical knowledge and skills required of a SOC analyst increase. However, this role is not limited to technical expertise; soft skills such as analytical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, communication, and teamwork are also decisive factors in the success of a SOC analyst. These traits enable the analyst to not only identify threats but also to respond to them in an effective and timely manner. Furthermore, the ability to continuously learn and adapt is vital to stay current in the face of rapidly changing cyber threats. SOC analysts are indispensable for strengthening cybersecurity strategies in this complex and dynamic environment and are therefore a valuable asset for organizations. This blog will be useful for anyone researching the soft skills required for SOC analysts.
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