Becoming a SOC (Security Operations Center) Analyst requires a structured approach to mastering cybersecurity fundamentals, threat detection, and incident response. Below is a detailed study path along with practical commands, tools, and techniques to help you excel in this role.
You Should Know:
1. Networking Fundamentals
Understanding network protocols, traffic analysis, and packet inspection is crucial.
– Wireshark Command (Packet Analysis):
wireshark -k -i eth0
– TCPDump (Capture Network Traffic):
tcpdump -i eth0 -w capture.pcap
– Netstat (Active Connections):
netstat -tuln
2. Operating System Security (Linux & Windows)
- Linux Log Analysis:
grep "Failed password" /var/log/auth.log
- Windows Event Logs:
Get-WinEvent -LogName Security -MaxEvents 10
3. SIEM Tools (Security Information & Event Management)
- Elasticsearch + Kibana (ELK Stack):
sudo systemctl start elasticsearch sudo systemctl start kibana
- Splunk Query Example:
index=main sourcetype=linux_secure FAILED | stats count by src
4. Threat Hunting & Incident Response
- YARA Rule for Malware Detection:
rule Detect_Malware { strings: $str = "malicious_string" condition: $str } - Volatility (Memory Forensics):
volatility -f memory.dump --profile=Win10 pslist
5. Scripting for Automation (Python & Bash)
- Python Script to Parse Logs:
import re with open("auth.log") as f: for line in f: if "Failed" in line: print(line) - Bash Script for Log Monitoring:
!/bin/bash tail -f /var/log/syslog | grep --color "ERROR"
What Undercode Say:
A SOC Analyst must continuously sharpen skills in log analysis, threat intelligence, and automation. Mastery of SIEM tools, scripting, and forensic techniques is essential. Below are additional commands for deeper learning:
- Linux Process Monitoring:
ps aux | grep suspicious_process
- Windows Suspicious Activity Check:
Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.CPU -gt 90 } - Network Anomaly Detection:
iftop -i eth0
Expected Output:
A well-prepared SOC Analyst should be able to:
✔ Detect intrusions using SIEM queries
✔ Analyze network traffic for anomalies
✔ Automate log parsing with Python/Bash
✔ Conduct memory forensics with Volatility
Prediction:
As cyber threats evolve, SOC roles will increasingly rely on AI-driven threat detection and automated response systems. Upskilling in machine learning for cybersecurity will be a game-changer.
(Note: No additional URLs were provided in the original post.)
References:
Reported By: Ouardi Mohamed – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅
