Read what is SecOps and its benefits.

Role of a SecOps Center

Constant Network Monitoring-

SecOps teams monitor the network around the clock to immediately be aware of impending security threats. Advanced tools are used to point out statistically inappropriate behaviour in the systems.

Incident Response and Remediation-

One significant role of a SecOps team is to respond to any incurred threat immediately. Network monitoring tools generally detect the incidents before the ill-effects spill onto the end-users. The team is expected to take remedial actions and perform damage control (restore lost, affected and compromised files).

Forensics and Root Cause Analysis-

After a security breach or another unexpected event, it is imperative to make sure why it took place. This investigation is necessary to avoid any such attacks in future. Various log data and other pieces of information are thoroughly analyzed to determine the source of the breach.

Threat Intelligence-

To keep attackers at bay, the team needs to be prepared at all times. It must possess the knowledge of the newest security technologies and trends in cybercrimes. Cybercriminals are ever innovating, and the team needs to be a step ahead of them to have an actionable plan to counter the attacks. This preparation method involves SecOps teams collaborating within as well as with other teams of various industries.

It is also essential to have methods in place to prevent and proactively respond to threats. Thus, it is necessary to periodically maintain and update the existing security systems and security policies.

Key roles/positions on a SecOps team

The structure of an organization's SecOps team defines its success in preventing cyber-attacks. Putting roles together piecemeal without an overall strategy will lead to an incoherent response. Instead, an organization requires a well-coordinated SecOps team with defined roles covering the full spectrum of cybersecurity threats and attacks.

5 key roles for every Security Operation Center (SOC) team:

Incident responder:

Is the 1st responder to hundreds of security threats/alerts received every day. He is responsible for configuring and monitoring the security tools.

Security investigator

Is responsible for identifying affected hosts and evaluating terminated processes. It is also a part of his duty to identify sources of attacks and methodologies used.

Advanced security analyst

Is responsible for conducting vulnerability tests and performing security analysis. He is responsible for assessing the security framework and fixing potential security lapses.

SOC manager

Is responsible for hiring and training the staff. As a manager, he is also in charge of allocating resources and managing the team.

Security engineer/architect

Is a specialist whose responsibility is to maintain security aspects in the design of the information systems.

SecOps roadmap with AI tools Integration

Automation and Artificial Intelligence AI have found their way into SecOps tools, and organizations should aspire to automate as many functions as possible.

There are numerous SecOps and SOC automation use cases, including incident detection, response, analysis, landscape analysis, emergent threat mitigation, human SOC analyst augmentation, and security training gamification.

Teams can use automated functions to compile data on security incidents, assign risk scores, cluster for similarities, differentiate and prioritize distinct kinds of threats, recommend response or remediation steps, and more.

SecOps teams benefit from automation by achieving awareness of the current state, understanding what could happen, and a plan of action. Increased threat vectors, such as IoT devices, necessitate SecOps teams having the outlook that AI can provide – insight that assists in detection and prevention. Automation also frees humans from time-consuming, manual tasks, focusing more on SecOps strategy.

More and more enterprises are now adopting SecOps as a cost-effective way of developing applications. Companies incorporate security into their entire business process by implementing SecOps from the start. This approach ensures that requirements are fulfilled, and systems are designed with safety. This "shift left" enables security to work together to set up a security system. It also pushes members of the operations team to reconsider how they create and develop.

Bonus read-
Growing importance of NetOps in Network Management