Cybersecurity Updates
Cybersecurity Analyst vs Incident Responder (IR)
One common confusion in cybersecurity especially among those new to the field or those working in organisations is assuming that Cybersecurity Analysts and Incident Responders are the same.
They’re not.
And if your company subscribes to a Managed SOC (Security Operations Centre), here’s something important to understand:
You’re not automatically getting Incident Response (IR).
Most Managed SOC services come with a team of Cybersecurity Analysts who:
• Monitor your logs and alerts
• Triage suspicious activities
• Escalate confirmed threats
• Provide daily or monthly reports
But Incident Response, the actual hands-on investigation, containment, forensics and post-incident reporting is often a separate service or an add-on.
IR involves:
• Memory/disk/network forensics
• Malware detonation in sandbox
• Root cause analysis
• Coordination with Legal, HR or PR
• Writing full IR reports
So if your SOC alerts you to a brute-force attack or a phishing-triggered malware infection, don’t assume they’ll handle the containment and investigation.
You’ll either need:
• An in-house IR team
• Or an external IR retainer agreement with your MSSP
One common confusion in cybersecurity especially among those new to the field or those working in organisations is assuming that Cybersecurity Analysts and Incident Responders are the same.
They’re not.
And if your company subscribes to a Managed SOC (Security Operations Centre), here’s something important to understand:
You’re not automatically getting Incident Response (IR).
Most Managed SOC services come with a team of Cybersecurity Analysts who:
• Monitor your logs and alerts
• Triage suspicious activities
• Escalate confirmed threats
• Provide daily or monthly reports
But Incident Response, the actual hands-on investigation, containment, forensics and post-incident reporting is often a separate service or an add-on.
IR involves:
• Memory/disk/network forensics
• Malware detonation in sandbox
• Root cause analysis
• Coordination with Legal, HR or PR
• Writing full IR reports
So if your SOC alerts you to a brute-force attack or a phishing-triggered malware infection, don’t assume they’ll handle the containment and investigation.
You’ll either need:
• An in-house IR team
• Or an external IR retainer agreement with your MSSP