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The current SOC model relies on a scarce resource: human analysts. These professionals are expensive, in high demand, and increasingly difficult to retain. Their work is not only highly technical and high-risk, but also soul-crushingly repetitive, dealing with a constant flood of alerts and incidents. As a result, SOC analysts often leave in search of better pay, the opportunity to move beyond the SOC into more rewarding roles, or simply to take much-needed breaks. This high churn rate puts the SOC in a vulnerable position, jeopardizing the overall effectiveness of cybersecurity operations. To keep your team resilient and maintain operational efficiency, it's essential to take proactive steps to reduce burnout and improve retention. Here are five strategies that can make a difference. Why Analyst Burnout Matters More Than Ever SOC analyst burnout is becoming a critical issue as the cybersecurity landscape evolves. Security Operations Centers (SOCs) face a growing number of daily al...

Introduction The Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack (2021) and SolarWinds supply chain attack (2020) were pivotal moments in cybersecurity, starting a new challenge for Chief Information Security Officers ( CISOs ). These attacks highlighted the importance of collaboration between CISOs and DevOps teams to ensure proper cloud security configurations. In this article, we will outline the 6-step approach to fostering strong partnerships between CISOs, DevOps teams, IT management, and organizations that can help to drive innovation while maintaining a robust security posture. You will learn how a CISO can effectively communicate with IT leadership and what methods to try. Our narrative will emphasize the most crucial aspect of an organization's security - growing your strong security team and moving to a proactive approach.  Understanding such breaches, such as the Capital One data breach (2019), Epsilon data breach (2019), Magecart compromises (ongoing), and MongoDB breaches (2...

Vulnerability Management (VM) has long been a cornerstone of organizational cybersecurity. Nearly as old as the discipline of cybersecurity itself, it aims to help organizations identify and address potential security issues before they become serious problems. Yet, in recent years, the limitations of this approach have become increasingly evident.  At its core, Vulnerability Management processes remain essential for identifying and addressing weaknesses. But as time marches on and attack avenues evolve, this approach is beginning to show its age. In a recent report, How to Grow Vulnerability Management into Exposure Management (Gartner, How to Grow Vulnerability Management Into Exposure Management, 8 November 2024, Mitchell Schneider Et Al.), we believe Gartner® addresses this point precisely and demonstrates how organizations can – and must – shift from a vulnerability-centric strategy to a broader Exposure Management (EM) framework. We feel it's more than a worthwhile read an...

In the last decade, there has been a growing disconnect between front-line analysts and senior management in IT and Cybersecurity. Well-documented challenges facing modern analysts revolve around a high volume of alerts, false positives, poor visibility of technical environments, and analysts spending too much time on manual tasks. The Impact of Alert Fatigue and False Positives  Analysts are overwhelmed with alerts. The knock-on effect of this is that fatigued analysts are at risk of missing key details in incidents, and often conduct time-consuming triaging tasks manually only to end up copying and pasting a generic closing comment into a false positive alert.  It is likely that there will always be false positives. And many would argue that a false positive is better than a false negative. But for proactive actions to be made, we must move closer to the heart of an incident. That requires diving into how analysts conduct the triage and investigation process. SHQ R...

Cybercriminals are vipers. They're like snakes in the grass, hiding behind their keyboards, waiting to strike. And if you're a small- and medium-sized business (SMB), your organization is the ideal lair for these serpents to slither into.  With cybercriminals becoming more sophisticated, SMBs like you must do more to protect themselves. But at what price? That's the daunting question many SMBs are forced to ask. Amidst your everyday challenges, the answer seems obvious: forgo investing in a robust cybersecurity solution for the time being. However, the alternative is to cross your fingers and hope hackers don't find you. That, of course, isn't the most prudent strategy, as the uncomfortable truth is threat actors now see your organization as a quick path to profit. Therefore, if your defenses are weak—or just not there—these digital crooks are likely to disrupt your operations, access sensitive data, and extort a heavy ransom. In this article, we'll expl...

In today's digital world, where connectivity is rules all, endpoints serve as the gateway to a business's digital kingdom. And because of this, endpoints are one of hackers' favorite targets.  According to the IDC,  70% of successful breaches start at the endpoint . Unprotected endpoints provide vulnerable entry points to launch devastating cyberattacks. With IT teams needing to protect more endpoints—and more kinds of endpoints—than ever before, that perimeter has become more challenging to defend. You need to improve your endpoint security, but where do you start? That's where this guide comes in.  We've curated the top 10 must-know endpoint security tips that every IT and security professional should have in their arsenal. From identifying entry points to implementing EDR solutions, we'll dive into the insights you need to defend your endpoints with confidence.  1. Know Thy Endpoints: Identifying and Understanding Your ...

Processing alerts quickly and efficiently is the cornerstone of a Security Operations Center (SOC) professional's role. Threat intelligence platforms can significantly enhance their ability to do so. Let's find out what these platforms are and how they can empower analysts. The Challenge: Alert Overload The modern SOC faces a relentless barrage of security alerts generated by SIEMs and EDRs. Sifting through these alerts is both time-consuming and resource-intensive. Analyzing a potential threat often requires searching across multiple sources before finding conclusive evidence to verify if it poses a real risk. This process is further hampered by the frustration of spending valuable time researching artifacts that ultimately turn out to be false positives. As a result, a significant portion of these events remain uninvestigated. This highlights a critical challenge: finding necessary information related to different indicators quickly and accurately. Threat data platforms o...

A significant challenge within cyber security at present is that there are a lot of risk management platforms available in the market, but only some deal with cyber risks in a very good way. The majority will shout alerts at the customer as and when they become apparent and cause great stress in the process. The issue being that by using a reactive, rather than proactive approach, many risks just sit there, dormant, until an emergency happens.  'Dealing with SOC Operations for more than a decade, I have seen nearly 60 percent of SOC Incidents are repeat findings that keep re-surfacing due to underlying unmitigated Risks. Here the actors may be different, however the risk is mostly the same. This is causing significant alert fatigue.' – Deodatta Wandhekar, Head of Global SOC, SecurityHQ. Combining Frameworks and Best Practices These risks can be prevented. A platform that combines the best practices of multiple frameworks is the solution to tackle this issue.  What is NIST...

Modern security tools continue to improve in their ability to defend organizations' networks and endpoints against cybercriminals. But the bad actors still occasionally find a way in. Security teams must be able to stop threats and restore normal operations as quickly as possible. That's why it's essential that these teams not only have the right tools but also understand how to effectively respond to an incident. Resources like an  incident response template  can be customized to define a plan with roles and responsibilities, processes and an action item checklist. But preparations can't stop there. Teams must continuously train to adapt as threats rapidly evolve. Every security incident must be harnessed as an educational opportunity to help the organization better prepare for — or even prevent — future incidents. SANS Institute defines a framework with six steps to a successful IR. Preparation Identification Containment Eradication Recovery Lessons learned Whil...