Security Operations Center (SOC)
A Security Operations Center (SOC) is a centralized function within an organization that employs people, processes, and technology to continuously monitor and improve an organization's security posture while preventing, detecting, analyzing, and responding to cybersecurity incidents[1]. It acts as the hub or central command post, taking in telemetry from across an organization's IT infrastructure and deciding how to manage and act upon each event logged within the organization[1].
Key Responsibilities of a SOC
Take Stock of Available Resources: The SOC is responsible for safeguarding various devices, processes, and applications, as well as the defensive tools at their disposal to ensure protection[1].
Preparation and Preventative Maintenance: The SOC implements preventative measures to prevent problems from occurring, including vulnerability assessment, governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) systems, application and database scanners, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA), endpoint detection and remediation (EDR), and threat intelligence platforms (TIP)[1].
Continuous Proactive Monitoring: Tools used by the SOC scan the network 24/7 to flag any abnormalities or suspicious activities, allowing for immediate notification and response to emerging threats[1].
Alert Ranking and Management: The SOC reviews and prioritizes alerts, discarding false positives and determining the severity of threats to triage and respond accordingly[1].
Threat Response: The SOC acts as the first responder, performing actions such as shutting down or isolating endpoints, terminating harmful processes, deleting files, and more to respond to confirmed incidents[1].
Recovery and Remediation: After an incident, the SOC works to restore systems and recover lost or compromised data, including wiping and restarting endpoints, reconfiguring systems, and deploying backups[1].
Log Management: The SOC is responsible for collecting, maintaining, and regularly reviewing the log of all network activities to monitor and analyze security events[1].
Microsoft's Perspective on SOC
Microsoft defines a Security Operations Center (SOC) as a centralized function that monitors, detects, and responds to cyber threats in real-time. The SOC team is responsible for monitoring various assets, including devices, servers, databases, applications, networks, and websites, to detect and respond to cyber attacks[2].
Key Responsibilities of a SOC (Microsoft)
Asset Management: The SOC manages the inventory of assets and tools used for security, including firewalls, antivirus software, and ransomware protection[2].
Threat Reduction: The SOC reduces the attack surface by identifying vulnerabilities and implementing security patches, configuring firewalls, and monitoring for suspicious activities[2].
Continuous Monitoring: The SOC uses various security tools, such as SIEM, SOAR, and XDR, to continuously monitor the environment, detect anomalies, and respond to incidents[2].
Threat Intelligence: The SOC uses threat intelligence feeds and reports to stay informed about the latest threats and trends, enabling proactive measures to mitigate risks[2].
Conclusion
A Security Operations Center (SOC) plays a crucial role in an organization's cybersecurity framework by continuously monitoring and improving security posture, detecting and responding to incidents, and implementing preventative measures to reduce the attack surface.
Citations: [1] https://www.trellix.com/security-awareness/operations/what-is-soc/ [2] https://www.microsoft.com/th-th/security/business/security-101/what-is-a-security-operations-center-soc [3] https://www.checkpoint.com/cyber-hub/threat-prevention/what-is-soc/ [4] https://www.alphasec.co.th/post/%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%82%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%B2%E0%B9%83%E0%B8%88-security-operations-center-soc-%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%A2%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%B0%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%94 [5] https://www.career4future.com/soc/