SOC Analyst Job Profile, Skills, Certifications, and Salary.
                     SOC Analyst Job Profile, Skills,
 Certifications, and Salary. 
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What is a SOC Analyst? 
SOC Analyst is a security professional who actively monitors 
cybersecurity incidents within the organization and identifies 
threats and vulnerabilities that can pose severe risks to the IT 
infrastructure of the organization. SOC stands for Security 
Operation Center. It is a department in an organization housing 
a team of cybersecurity professionals along with the SOC 
Analysts. The primary objective of a SOC team is to handle the 
security operations of an organization. SOC team can also be 
outsourced by an organization to strengthen their security 
posture.
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Any newbie or experienced professionals can apply for the position of SOC 
Analyst. In this section, we will discuss the job profile, salaries, skills, 
certifications, and training that can help you to forge a promising career as a SOC 
Analyst.
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SOC Analyst job profile
The responsibilities of  SOC Analysts include protecting the information 
assets from unauthorized access. They look after suspicious activities in the 
network and mitigate the risks associated with them. There are three levels 
or tiers of the SOC Analyst position known as L1, L2, and L3. According to 
experts, most SOC Analysts have two or more years of experience in IT or 
networking before applying for the SOC Analyst job role. They start from L1, 
and their career progresses from L2 and L3 after acquiring specific skills and 
experience.
Apart from these levels, Shift Leads, Security Consultants, SOC Managers, and 
SOC Engineers are within a Security Operation Center. SOC Engineers are 
software and hardware specialists responsible for the maintenance and 
development of the systems and tools used by the analysts. The SOC Shift 
Leads are responsible for formulating, implementing, and documenting 
appropriate methodologies. They instruct the junior members of the SOC 
team in handling security incidents. At the top of the hierarchy, SOC 
Managers look after the security operations and are responsible for hiring 
and training the SOC staff. In case of a significant security risk, they directly 
manage the team.
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Skills required for a SOC Analyst job role 
Following are the skills required for a SOC analyst job role:
•Network Defending : Networks are more prone to cyberattacks as 
they are actively connected to the internet. Cybercriminals often target 
networks and exploit the vulnerabilities present in them. Therefore, 
securing the network infrastructure of an organization is the primary 
task of SOC Analysts. He/She must be well-versed with how the 
network functions and how to defend it from potential threats. The 
network defending skills facilitate them to monitor, detect, and analyze 
the threats that can evade the network security posture.
•Ethical hacking or penetration testing: To defend the networks 
against cyberattacks, SOC Analysts must possess the mindset of a 
hacker. The proficiency in ethical hacking helps SOC Analysts to uncover 
vulnerabilities in the security posture of the organization. In-depth 
knowledge of penetration testing enables them to test the web 
application, network, and systems for vulnerabilities and report them 
to the higher authorities.
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1. Incident response :Incidence response skills are crucial to 
manage and mitigate the risks of cyberattacks. The objective of 
an incidence response is to reduce the damage caused by the 
cyberattacks and recover as early as possible. The SOC Analyst 
must be efficient in responding to the incidents and improving 
the existing security controls to prevent future data breach 
incidents.
2. Digital forensics : The understanding of digital forensics enables 
SOC Analysts to analyze, monitor, and collect evidence of the 
data breach. The collected data and pieces of evidence are used 
to report and prevent future data breaches.
3. Reverse Engineering : Sometimes attackers take advantage of 
bugs present in the software applications and compromise the 
systems. The SOC Analyst utilizes reverse engineering knowledge 
to check the performance of a software program and fix the bug 
in it.
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Some of the specific technical skills include:
Understanding of Windows/Linux/MAC
Knowledge of programming languages such as Python, Ruby, PHP, 
Java, Perl, and more
In-depth understanding and implementation of Security 
Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions such as IBM 
QRadar and Splunk
Knowledge of fundamentals of computer networking such as 
routing, switching, TCP/IP, OSI model, and more
Networking protocols
Vulnerability assessment and penetration testing
Strong communication and report writing skills are usefulin 
addressing the security issues with the various stakeholders in an 
organization
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SOC Analyst certifications and training
The certifications enable you to demonstrate your skills and 
technical knowledge to employers. They play a critical role 
whether you are looking forward to getting new opportunities or 
advancing in your career. There are various SOC certifications that 
can assist you in gaining the required skills to become a successful 
SOC Analyst. They are mentioned below:
CompTIA Security+ : CompTIA Security+ is a baseline certification 
validating the skills of candidates to perform core technical issues. 
This certification course is perfect for understanding common 
threats, attacks, and vulnerabilities. It also covers fundamentals 
related to incidence response along with governance and 
compliance issues. Security+ certification serves as a perfect 
launchpad to kickstart your career in the Cybersecurity domain.
CompTIA Security+ SYO-601 Training
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CompTIA CySA+ : After earning CompTIA Security+ certification, you can go 
for CompTIA CySA+ (CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst Certification), which is 
an intermediate-level certification developed for security analysts. During 
the training course, You will learn and validate the primary skills required 
for a Security Analyst, such as threat and vulnerability management, 
software and systems security, security operations, and monitoring and 
incidence response.
CompTIA CySA+ Certification Training
EC-Council Certified Security Analyst (CSA): EC-Council’s CSA certification is 
mainly developed for aspiring Tier 1 and Tier 2 SOC Analysts. The 
certification course enables SOC Analysts to understand various SOC 
processes and work efficiently within a SOC team. To know more about CSA 
certification, go through the following blog:
Certified Soc Analyst (CSA): What you need to know
EC-Council’s Certified SOC Analyst training course
The following training courses will equip you with the necessary and most 
in-demand skills to carry out the complex tasks in your day-to-day work life.
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Infosec Train’s SOC Analyst training : Infosec Train’s SOC Analyst training 
program is a meticulously designed, practical-driven training course for 
current or aspiring Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 SOC Analysts. The training will 
give you an in-depth understanding of digital forensics and incidence 
response covering a range of SOC tools that go hand-in-hand for Security 
Analysts.
To know more about this customized training program by Infosec Train, 
read the following blog:
Infosec Train’s SOC Analyst training program
IBM QRadar training : IBM QRadar is a crucial SIEM tool that every SOC 
analyst must know about. IBM QRadar SIEM Tool Training will thoroughly 
cover each aspect of this widely used SIEM platform and teach you how to 
implement and gather useful threat intelligence with its help.
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SOC Analyst career advancement and salaries
As mentioned earlier, SOC Analysts start their career as L1 SOC 
Analysts, and after acquiring skills and experiences, they 
progress through L2 and L3. After honing their skills, they can 
end up working in incidence response, security program 
management, and other leadership roles.
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Wrap up
SOC Analyst is a challenging job profile. Just having the 
knowledge of SIEM tools and log management is not enough. 
SOC Analysts must keep looking at the larger picture and 
sometimes think out of the box to outsmart the intelligent and 
well-funded hackers. They must be passionate about their job 
and must possess a continuously evolving mindset to stay 
ahead in the game.
Infosec Train offers training courses for the reputed SOC Analyst 
certifications, including EC-Council’s CSA certification and 
CompTIA CySA+. In addition to this, there are other Customized 
courses developed by our industry veterans to hone the skills of 
aspiring SOC Analysts. You can check the latest schedule of 
these courses by visiting the link mentioned below:
•Infosec Train’s SOC Analyst training program
•IBM QRadar SIEM Tool Training
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and Cyber Security domain
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or customized training programs curated with 
professionals of over 15 years of combined 
experience in the domain
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