The Security Operations Centre (SOC) Workflow: Roles, Escalation, and Simulations

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An effective SOC workflow involves clearly defining the roles and responsibilities at each level (L1, L2, L3) to ensure structured incident response. Below is a breakdown of SOC tiers with practical examples, commands, and escalation paths.

SOC Tier Roles & Responsibilities

1. L1 (Tier 1 – Monitoring & Triage)

  • Monitors alerts from SIEM (e.g., Splunk, Elasticsearch).
  • Performs initial triage using basic commands:
    Check suspicious login attempts (Linux) 
grep "Failed password" /var/log/auth.log 
Windows Event Log (PowerShell) 
Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{LogName='Security'; ID=4625}
  • Escalates complex threats to L2.

2. L2 (Tier 2 – Investigation & Analysis)

  • Conducts deeper analysis using:
    Network traffic inspection (Wireshark/Tshark) 
tshark -r suspicious.pcap -Y "http.request.method==POST" 
Vulnerability scanning (Nessus/NMAP) 
nmap -sV --script vuln <target_IP>
  • Escalates to L3 if advanced persistence (e.g., rootkits) is detected.
  1. L3 (Tier 3 – Threat Hunting & Remediation)

– Performs memory forensics (Volatility), malware analysis:

volatility -f memory.dump --profile=Win10 pslist

– Coordinates containment (e.g., firewall rules, endpoint isolation).

You Should Know: Practical SOC Simulations

  • Scenario 1: Brute Force Attack
  • L1 Action: Identify failed SSH attempts.
  • L2 Action: Block IP via firewall (iptables -A INPUT -s <IP> -j DROP).
  • L3 Action: Check for compromised accounts (lastb).

  • Scenario 2: Phishing Alert

  • L1 Action: Quarantine email via Exchange PowerShell:
    Search-Mailbox -Identity "user" -SearchQuery "subject:'Urgent Invoice'" -DeleteContent
  • L2 Action: Analyze malicious URL (curl/wget).
  • L3 Action: Hunt for lateral movement (BloodHound).

Expected SOC Tools & Commands

| Tool | Command/Use Case |

|||

| Wireshark | Filter DNS exfiltration: `dns.qry.name contains “malicious”` |

| Splunk | Query: `index=main sourcetype=linux_secure FAILED` |

| YARA | Scan for malware: `yara -r malware_rules.yar /bin/` |

What Undercode Say

A well-defined SOC workflow minimizes dwell time and ensures efficient threat containment. Key takeaways:
– Automate L1 triage with SIEM rules.
– L2 must master log analysis (ELK Stack, Zeek).
– L3 requires reverse engineering skills (Ghidra, x64dbg).

Prediction

AI-driven SOCs will soon automate 70% of L1 tasks, shifting focus to proactive threat hunting.

Expected Output:

  • SOC tiers with clear escalation paths.
  • Hands-on commands for real-world incidents.
  • Faster incident response through role specialization.

Relevant URLs:

IT/Security Reporter URL:

Reported By: Alexrweyemamu Security – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

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