Security Operations Center teams should deploy tools that automatically alert them of potential threats as soon as they arise, enabling them to stay one step ahead of bad actors in the threat landscape.
SOCs also serve as first responders in case of incidents, taking actions such as shutting down endpoints, isolating systems, terminating destructive processes, deleting files and more in response. They use log data and other evidence to understand how threats have infiltrated systems and what steps should be taken against them.
Detection
The Security Operations Center's primary duty is to safeguard its organization from threats using threat intelligence automation and human oversight. Monitoring and alerting are its first lines of defence, with aggregated log data coming in from applications, firewalls, OS, endpoints, OT systems etc., being processed into alerts for abnormal trends, discrepancies or indicators of compromise (IoCs) to identify potential threats, which are then prioritized based on priority levels; automated tools might be allowed for lower level risks while human intervention would be required for higher level risks.
SOC teams are responsible for implementing and overseeing protective measures to minimize business operations damages caused by incidents. Such measures may include disabling devices, modifying system configurations, terminating harmful processes and deleting files when necessary. A good SOC should quickly assess each incident's effect on operations to take corrective actions to limit the damage as much as possible.
One of the key SOC best practices is creating and utilizing an effective security information and event management (SIEM) solution integrated with all major security controls. SOC teams often become overburdened with alerts that are either false positives or do not provide sufficient context, and SIEM solutions play a vital role in improving both Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) and Mean Time To Intervention (MTTI) by consolidating multiple siloed tools, automating common tasks, and streamlining triage and response timeframe.
As part of its best practice for SOCs, timely deployment of network security patches should also be prioritized as one essential best practice. Any unsecured vulnerabilities leave the organization vulnerable to attack from attackers looking to take data or install malware - so an agile patching strategy that prioritizes vulnerabilities based on risk should be employed, with all patches delivered at exactly the right time to all devices connected to its network.
Response
Security Operations Centers are invaluable tools for businesses of all sizes. Their purpose is to develop effective processes for detecting, mitigating and preventing cyber threats such as ransomware, breaches, insider threats/privilege misuse, phishing attacks, denial-of-service attacks or supply chain attacks.
Establishing an effective SOC requires more than simply purchasing and installing technology tools, although that is key. Instead, it requires gathering a strong team of security professionals to oversee these tools and processes and work to identify and address threats together.
Furthermore, it is important to establish and communicate its scope and responsibilities while creating and maintaining an incident response process and plan which prioritize and respond quickly to identified threats.
SIEM (security information and event management) systems help SOC teams monitor and analyze vast volumes of data by automatically normalizing and enriching threat intelligence to focus on responding quickly to cyberattacks while decreasing dwell time within servers and networks.
Internal resources may be sufficient to meet this task; however, managing and investigating security alerts can become cumbersome, increasing your risk of missing one due to "alert fatigue". Outsourced SOC services offer expert staff and automated tools that better manage and investigate security alerts to reduce alert fatigue. Furthermore, outsourced SOC services also offer penetration testing and gap assessments. Hence, your infrastructure meets NIST CSF best practices - schedule a consultation today with one of our specialists so we can determine your SOC needs!
Monitoring
A Security Operations Center cannot protect what it cannot see, so to secure an enterprise effectively; it requires complete visibility across endpoints, servers and cloud resources, as well as an understanding of data flows between these assets and third-party services as well as their security posture in one centralized place.
To achieve such visibility, SOCs must be capable of collecting and analyzing all forms of security data - such as vlogs, machine data, network traffic logs and firewall logs. Furthermore, SOCs should be able to automatically detect, classify and prioritize security threats using SIEM (security information and event management system).
SOCs must also have the capability of monitoring systems that do not have sufficient resources to keep their software updated, including servers, endpoints and perimeter devices that display signs of neglect.
SOCs must also have tools that allow for collecting mobile device forensic data and remote collection hardware capable of pulling artefacts and system information from these devices without accessing them locally - this may include endpoint detection and response software such as Exabeam for this task.
Finally, it's essential to have an evaluation system in place to gauge the efficacy of processes and procedures. This can be accomplished via tabletop incident response exercises, gap assessments against NIST framework adherence assessments or regular penetration testing to detect vulnerabilities.
Maintenance of a SOC can be an intricate endeavour that necessitates many technical abilities and an eye for recruiting the best team members in this ever-evolving industry. To maximize results and meet new threats head-on, processes must be documented, and an improvement strategy for continual reflection and optimization of SOC procedures must be.
Analysis
SOCs' primary responsibility is to monitor an organization's network, from internal traffic to internet connectivity and cloud resources shared across multiple servers. Their main role also encompasses API app integrations, IoT devices and cloud resources shared between servers; their chief information security officer must take great care in accurately defining network boundaries to prevent cyberattacks that penetrate through or around third-party services or systems.
As the primary line of defence, SOC teams act as the initial line of defence by quickly analyzing any threats as they appear to assess how aggressive and potentially damaging any detected vulnerabilities might be. They then prioritize them accordingly, with more urgent issues addressed, such as blocking access to malicious websites, shutting down, or isolating compromised endpoints. Furthermore, mitigation measures may also be considered, which help limit the incident's impact on organizations.
SOC teams must carefully review each alert generated by monitoring tools to filter out false positives and assess their severity, as well as ensure the accuracy of security intelligence data from various disparate tools, consolidate it into actionable insights, and eliminate alert fatigue caused by low-fidelity threat notifications and increase MTTR/MTTI for faster responses as well as alleviate analyst burnout. To achieve this objective, an efficient security intelligence platform must exist that consolidates security intelligence across various tools into a meaningful context for actionable insights; otherwise, they risk creating "noise".
Additionally, a SOC should regularly conduct penetration testing and gap assessments to detect any vulnerabilities in security systems. Furthermore, this body should also conduct regular simulations of cyberattacks to test response processes and ensure NIST security standards are followed.
An effective SOC is essential to protecting corporate data against sophisticated cybercriminals who attempt to breach it. By employing best SOC practices, security leaders can effectively manage and mitigate threats against critical systems, data and assets - further safeguarding corporate assets from hackers. The more SOC teams demonstrate their value to business leaders, the safer corporate information will remain from potential attack.
Threat Hunting
A Security Operations Center must be able to detect and respond to threats to safeguard the organization quickly. Full visibility over digital assets and endpoints is needed in the SOC environment for this to occur.
Penetration testing and gap analyses are integral components of cybersecurity strategy, designed to simulate cyberattacks and identify existing vulnerabilities and potential entry methods. Another key aspect is conducting tabletop incident response drills to pinpoint weaknesses in SOC processes, enhance incident handling skills and ensure compliance with the NIST cybersecurity framework (CSF).
Threat hunting requires the application of specific skill sets and the availability of a dedicated security team with extensive training. Security operations centres (SOC) teams should use data-driven discovery techniques to detect anomalous events on networks, which they then confirm or deny with log analysis, threat intelligence or other tools. Furthermore, SOC teams should communicate the threats they identify to other employees using their expertise and knowledge of attack methodologies to educate them and help them recognize similar risks.
Search and correlation capabilities are also a cornerstone of SOCs, and without scalable, high-speed systems available, search times may increase significantly and compromise response capabilities, investigation and mitigation processes. SOCs should consider investing in SIEM technologies with advanced features like machine learning or user and entity behaviour analytics (UEBA), reducing alert fatigue while increasing MTTD/MTTI ratios and helping threat hunters rapidly identify threats and remediate vulnerabilities.
Assuring the SOC meets its cybersecurity needs is best accomplished through prioritizing and investing in solutions designed to prevent breaches, such as using up-to-date vulnerability assessment and scanning tools, monitoring systems that track logs and analyze attacks in real-time and implementing cyber threat intelligence.
