Learning Security Operations: A Comprehensive SOC Guide

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This article outlines a structured 4-week plan to master Security Operations Center (SOC) fundamentals, covering SIEM, threat intelligence, incident response, and automation.

Week 1: Foundations of SOC Operations

✅ SOC Roles & Responsibilities – Understand Tier 1/2/3 analysts, threat hunters, and incident responders.
✅ Log Management & SIEM Basics – Centralize logs for security monitoring.
✅ Home Lab Setup – Deploy ELK Stack or Wazuh for log analysis.

You Should Know:

🔹 ELK Stack Setup (Linux)

 Install Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana 
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y elasticsearch logstash kibana 
sudo systemctl enable --now elasticsearch kibana

🔹 Basic SIEM Query (Wazuh)

SELECT  FROM alerts WHERE rule.level >= 10;

🔗 to SIEM
🔗 SIEM and Log Management – TryHackMe

Week 2: Hands-on with Security Tools

✅ Network Traffic Analysis – Wireshark, Zeek (Bro).

✅ Log Analysis – Windows Event Logs (Event Viewer) & Linux (journalctl).

✅ Threat Intelligence – VirusTotal, AlienVault OTX, MISP.

You Should Know:

🔹 Wireshark Filtering

 Capture HTTP traffic 
tcp.port == 80 || tcp.port == 443

🔹 Zeek (Bro) Command

zeek -i eth0 local

🔹 Linux Log Inspection

journalctl -u sshd --no-pager | grep "Failed password"

🔗 Wireshark Tutorial
🔗 MITRE ATT&CK Framework

Week 3: Incident Handling & Vulnerability Management

✅ Digital Forensics – Volatility (memory analysis), Autopsy (disk forensics).

✅ Vulnerability Scanning – Nmap, Nessus.

✅ Compliance Frameworks – NIST, CIS, ISO 27001.

You Should Know:

🔹 Nmap Scan Techniques

nmap -sV -A -T4 target_ip

🔹 Volatility Memory Analysis

volatility -f memory.dump --profile=Win10x64 pslist

🔹 Nessus CLI Scan

nessuscli scan --target=192.168.1.0/24 --policy="Basic Scan"

🔗 Nmap Training
🔗 Volatility Forensics

Week 4: Advanced SOC Techniques & Capstone Project

✅ Automation – Python (`requests`, `pandas`), PowerShell.

✅ SIEM Alert Tuning – Reduce false positives.

✅ Capstone Project – Simulate a SOC investigation.

You Should Know:

🔹 Python for Log Analysis

import pandas as pd 
logs = pd.read_csv('security_logs.csv') 
suspicious_ips = logs[logs['severity'] > 7]['source_ip'].unique()

🔹 PowerShell Command for Logs

Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{LogName='Security'; ID=4625}

🔗 Python for Security Analysts
🔗 Security Orchestration (SOAR)

What Undercode Say

A well-structured SOC training plan should include hands-on labs, real-world simulations, and automation scripting. Key takeaways:
– Log Analysis is critical (journalctl, Event Viewer).
– Network Forensics (Wireshark, Zeek) helps detect anomalies.
– Automation (Python, PowerShell) improves SOC efficiency.
– Vulnerability Scanning (Nmap, Nessus) must be routine.

Expected Output:

A SOC analyst capable of handling real-world incidents, analyzing logs, automating tasks, and responding to threats effectively.

Prediction:

SOC automation (SOAR) and AI-driven threat detection will dominate future cybersecurity operations, reducing manual workloads.

References:

Reported By: Priombiswas Cybersec – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

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