🚀 Executive Summary

TL;DR: Modern SOC and IR teams face critical challenges including skill gaps, reactive incident response, and high burnout. The solution involves building practical skill development pipelines, streamlining workflows with SOAR platforms and optimized SIEM, and fostering a proactive security culture through threat intelligence and the MITRE ATT&CK framework.

🎯 Key Takeaways

• Implement a blended skill development pipeline using external platforms (e.g., TryHackMe) for structured learning paths and internal CTFs/wargames for hands-on practice, complemented by mentorship programs.
• Streamline SOC/IR workflows by deploying SOAR platforms with standardized playbooks and robust API integrations to automate repetitive tasks, thereby reducing Mean Time To Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time To Respond (MTTR).
• Shift to a proactive security culture by adopting a threat-informed defense using MITRE ATT&CK to map detections, conduct hypothesis-based threat hunting, and integrate diverse threat intelligence feeds into SIEM for enriched alerts and automated blocking.

Navigating the complexities of modern cybersecurity demands more than just technical prowess; it requires a strategic approach to skill development, workflow optimization, and cultural change. This post distills insights from TryHackMe’s co-founder on how to cultivate skilled talent and mature SOC/IR capabilities.

Symptoms: The Strains on Modern SOC & IR Teams

Security Operations Centers (SOCs) and Incident Response (IR) teams are the frontline defenders of an organization’s digital assets. Yet, many struggle with recurring issues that hinder their effectiveness and lead to burnout. Recognizing these symptoms is the first step towards building a more resilient and proactive security posture.

• ### Persistent Skill Gaps

A common complaint is the disconnect between theoretical knowledge and practical application. New hires often lack hands-on experience with real-world threats and tools, requiring significant ramp-up time. Experienced staff may also find their skills challenged by rapidly evolving attack techniques, leading to a reactive instead of proactive stance.

• ### Reactive “Whac-A-Mole” Incident Response

Many teams are constantly in a reactive mode, scrambling from one alert to the next without sufficient time for root cause analysis, proactive hunting, or process improvement. This “alert fatigue” leads to missed critical incidents and a cycle of endless firefighting.

• ### Inefficient Manual Processes

Repetitive tasks, manual data correlation across disparate systems, and ad-hoc communication often plague SOCs. This inefficiency not only wastes valuable analyst time but also increases the Mean Time To Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time To Respond (MTTR) to incidents.

• ### High Turnover and Burnout

The demanding nature, constant pressure, and often repetitive tasks contribute to high stress levels. When coupled with inadequate training and inefficient workflows, this leads to significant analyst burnout and high attrition rates, exacerbating skill shortages.

Solution 1: Building a Practical Skill Development Pipeline

To combat skill gaps and high turnover, organizations must invest in a structured and practical skill development pipeline. This not only upskills existing teams but also provides a clear pathway for new talent to integrate effectively.

Internal & External Training Synergies

Leverage a blend of structured external platforms and tailored internal programs to build expertise. Platforms like TryHackMe provide a gamified, hands-on learning environment for foundational and advanced cybersecurity skills, ideal for both newcomers and seasoned professionals looking to cross-skill.

• Structured Learning Paths: Encourage team members to follow specific learning paths on platforms like TryHackMe (e.g., “SOC Level 1,” “Cyber Defense”) that align with their roles or desired career progression.

  // Example of an internal skill matrix and recommended learning paths
  SOC_ANALYST_L1_SKILLS = [
      "Network Fundamentals",
      "Linux Fundamentals",
      "Windows Fundamentals",
      "Security Information & Event Management (SIEM)",
      "Incident Response Basics",
      "Basic Scripting (Python)"
  ]
RECOMMENDED_THM_PATHS = {
“Network Fundamentals”: “Intro to Networking”,
“Linux Fundamentals”: “Linux Fundamentals Part 1 & 2”,
“Windows Fundamentals”: “Windows Fundamentals Part 1 & 2”,
“SIEM”: “Splunk / Elastic (Custom Room)”,
“Incident Response Basics”: “SOC Level 1 / Incident Response Fundamentals”
}
// Pseudocode for tracking skill progression
function trackSkillProgression(employeeId, skill, progress) {
// Update HR/LMS system with skill progress
console.log(Employee ${employeeId} progress in ${skill}: ${progress}%);
}

• Internal CTFs and Wargames: Organize regular internal Capture The Flag (CTF) events or “wargames.” These simulated environments allow teams to practice identifying vulnerabilities, analyzing logs, and responding to incidents in a safe, controlled setting.

  • Example Scenario: “Simulated Ransomware Incident” where analysts must identify initial access, contain the spread, and recover data using provided tools and log files.

• Mentorship Programs: Pair junior analysts with senior members. This facilitates knowledge transfer and provides practical guidance on real-world scenarios. A mentor can guide a mentee through complex alert investigations, explaining reasoning and best practices.

Continuous Skill Refreshment

Cybersecurity is a dynamic field. Continuous learning is non-negotiable.

• Threat Hunt “Labs”: Dedicate time weekly or bi-weekly for analysts to explore new threats or TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures) from sources like MITRE ATT&CK. They can then attempt to create or refine detection rules in your SIEM.

  // Example of a Splunk query developed during a threat hunt exercise
  // Search for suspicious PowerShell commands attempting to download files from unusual sources
  index=windows sourcetype=WinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational EventCode=4104
  | rex field=Message "commandline="(?<powershell_cmd>[^"]+)""
  | where powershell_cmd LIKE "%Invoke-WebRequest%" OR powershell_cmd LIKE "%BITSAdmin%" OR powershell_cmd LIKE "%System.Net.WebClient%"
  | where powershell_cmd LIKE "%http://%" OR powershell_cmd LIKE "%https://%"
  | search NOT (powershell_cmd LIKE "%trusteddomain.com%" OR powershell_cmd LIKE "%updates.microsoft.com%")
  | table _time, ComputerName, User, powershell_cmd

• Scripting & Automation Challenges: Encourage analysts to automate repetitive tasks using Python or PowerShell. Provide small “challenges” to build scripts for log parsing, API interaction, or data enrichment. This not only builds practical coding skills but also directly benefits the team’s efficiency.

Solution 2: Streamlining and Automating SOC/IR Workflows

Reducing manual toil and accelerating response times are critical for maturing SOC/IR teams. Automation and orchestration are key enablers here.

Implementing SOAR Platforms

Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) platforms integrate various security tools and automate repetitive tasks based on predefined playbooks. This frees up analysts to focus on more complex investigations.

• Standardized Playbooks: Develop clear, step-by-step playbooks for common incident types (e.g., phishing, malware infection, unauthorized access). These playbooks should dictate the automated actions and human-guided steps.

  // Example SOAR Playbook Logic (Simplified Pseudocode for Phishing Incident)
PLAYBOOK: Phishing_Incident_Response
TRIGGER: New alert from Email Security Gateway (or user reported phishing)
STEPS:

AUTOMATE: Ingest email details (sender, recipient, subject, attachments, URLs)
AUTOMATE: Extract all URLs and file hashes from email
AUTOMATE: Check URLs against Threat Intelligence (TI) feeds (e.g., VirusTotal, URLhaus)

If malicious: Mark as high confidence, proceed to 4
If suspicious: Mark as medium confidence, proceed to 4
If clean: Mark as low confidence, proceed to 7


AUTOMATE: Check file hashes against TI feeds (e.g., VirusTotal)

If malicious: Mark as high confidence


AUTOMATE: Search SIEM for other recipients of the same email / sender
HUMAN INTERVENTION: Analyst reviews initial findings, confirms maliciousness.

If confirmed malicious:

AUTOMATE: Block sender/URL at email gateway, proxy, firewall.
AUTOMATE: Isolate affected endpoints (if any file execution).
AUTOMATE: Create incident ticket in ITSM/Ticketing system.
HUMAN INTERVENTION: Notify affected users/stakeholders.
AUTOMATE: Post-incident analysis & reporting.


If false positive:

AUTOMATE: Close alert, record as false positive.
AUTOMATE: Refine detection rule/TI if necessary.




HUMAN INTERVENTION: If suspicious/clean, analyst performs manual review for false negatives.

• API Integrations: Connect your SOAR platform to your SIEM, EDR, Firewall, Email Gateway, and Identity Provider via APIs. This allows for seamless data exchange and automated actions.

  # Example Python snippet to interact with a hypothetical SOAR API to block an IP
  import requests
  import json
SOAR_API_BASE = “https://your-soar-platform.com/api/v1”
API_KEY = “YOUR_API_KEY”
def block_ip(ip_address, reason=“Automated block from phishing incident”):
headers = {
“Authorization”: f“Bearer {API_KEY}“,
“Content-Type”: “application/json”
}
payload = {
“action”: “block_ip”,
“ip”: ip_address,
“reason”: reason,
“source”: “SOAR Playbook”
}
try:
response = requests.post(f“{SOAR_API_BASE}/actions“, headers=headers, data=json.dumps(payload))
response.raise_for_status() # Raise an exception for HTTP errors (4xx or 5xx)
print(f“Successfully initiated IP block for {ip_address}: {response.json()}“)
return response.json()
except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
print(f“Error blocking IP {ip_address}: {e}”)
return None
Example usage within a playbook step
if name == “main”:
malicious_ip = “192.0.2.1” # Retrieved from TI feed
block_ip(malicious_ip)

Optimizing SIEM and Alerting

A well-tuned SIEM is the foundation of effective detection. Focus on high-fidelity alerts and continuous rule improvement.

• Use Cases over Raw Logs: Instead of simply collecting all logs, focus on defining specific security use cases and building detection rules around them. Prioritize alerts based on severity, potential impact, and reliability.
• Threat Intelligence Integration: Automatically ingest threat intelligence feeds (see Solution 3) into your SIEM to enrich events and generate alerts when internal activity matches known bad indicators.

Solution 3: Fostering a Proactive Security Culture and Threat Intelligence Integration

Moving beyond reactive firefighting requires a shift in culture towards proactive threat hunting, intelligence-driven defense, and cross-functional collaboration.

Adopting a Threat-Informed Defense

Leverage frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK to understand adversary tactics and techniques. This provides a common language and helps identify gaps in your detection and response capabilities.

• Mapping Detections to ATT&CK: Map your existing SIEM rules and security controls to specific ATT&CK techniques. This helps visualize your coverage and identify areas where you are blind.

  // Example SIEM rule logic (Splunk-like pseudocode) for ATT&CK T1059.001 (PowerShell Execution)
  // This rule detects suspicious PowerShell usage
  index=windows sourcetype=WinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational EventCode=4104
  | search Message="*Bypass*" OR Message="*EncodedCommand*" OR Message="*DownloadString*" OR Message="*Invoke-Expression*"
  | stats count by ComputerName, User, Message
  | where count > 1 // Adjust threshold to reduce FPs
  // ATT&CK Mapping: T1059.001 PowerShell
  // Description: Detects suspicious PowerShell command-line arguments indicative of malicious execution.

• Proactive Threat Hunting: Based on ATT&CK, actively search for adversary activities that your automated detections might miss. This involves developing hypotheses, querying data, and iteratively refining searches.

  • Hypothesis Example: “Adversaries might be using scheduled tasks to establish persistence (T1053.005) by creating tasks that execute malicious scripts.”
  • Threat Hunt Query (Splunk-like):

  index=windows sourcetype=WinEventLog:System EventCode=4698 // Scheduled Task Created
  | search TaskName="*UpdateService*" OR TaskName="*CleanupUtility*" // Look for suspicious task names
  | rex field=Command "command=(?<executed_command>.*)"
  | where executed_command LIKE "*.ps1*" OR executed_command LIKE "*.vbs*"
  | table _time, ComputerName, User, TaskName, executed_command, Status
  

Integrating Threat Intelligence

Effective use of threat intelligence provides context, enriches alerts, and informs defensive strategies.

• Consuming Diverse Feeds: Integrate both open-source intelligence (OSINT) feeds (e.g., Abuse.ch, AlienVault OTX) and commercial threat intelligence platforms (TIPs). A TIP can aggregate, normalize, and de-duplicate intelligence from various sources.
• Automated Indicator Blocking: Automatically block or alert on indicators of compromise (IOCs) such as malicious IPs, domains, and file hashes from your TI feeds at the perimeter (firewall, proxy, email gateway) and within your SIEM/EDR.

Reactive vs. Proactive SOC: A Comparison

Understanding the distinction is crucial for strategic improvement.

By consciously shifting towards a proactive model, SOC/IR teams can move from constantly being behind the curve to anticipating and mitigating threats before they impact the organization.

👉 Read the original article on TechResolve.blog