Module 7: Security Operations

Master SIEM, threat intelligence, incident response, and security monitoring.

What is Security Operations?

Security Operations (SecOps) is the ongoing work of protecting systems - monitoring, detecting, responding to threats. Think of it as the security guard who never sleeps.

🎯 SecOps Goals:

Detect: Identify security incidents quickly
Respond: Contain and remediate threats
Prevent: Stop attacks before they succeed
Improve: Learn from incidents

SIEM (Security Information and Event Management)

SIEM collects, analyzes, and correlates security logs from across your infrastructure. It's like a security camera system that also analyzes what it sees.

SIEM Query Example (Splunk):

# Find failed login attempts

index=security sourcetype=auth

| search action=\"failed login\"

| stats count by user, src_ip

| where count > 5

| sort - count

Log Analysis & Correlation

Logs tell the story of what happened. Correlation connects the dots across different systems.

Key Log Sources:

• Firewalls: Network traffic, blocked connections
• Web Servers: HTTP requests, errors
• Authentication: Login attempts, password changes
• Databases: Queries, access patterns
• Endpoints: Process execution, file changes
• Cloud Services: API calls, configuration changes

Threat Intelligence

Information about current and emerging threats - know your enemy.

Threat Intelligence Sources:

• MITRE ATT&CK framework
• Threat feeds (AlienVault, Talos)
• ISACs (Information Sharing Centers)
• Dark web monitoring
• Security research blogs

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs):

• Malicious IP addresses
• File hashes
• Domain names
• URLs
• Email addresses

SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, Response)

Automate repetitive security tasks to respond faster and more consistently.

Orchestration

Connect security tools to work together.

Automation

Automate response actions (block IP, isolate host).

Response

Standardized playbooks for common incidents.

Example Playbook: Phishing Email

1. User reports suspicious email

2. Extract IOCs (URLs, attachments)

3. Check threat intelligence feeds

4. If malicious:

- Block sender domain

- Delete email from all mailboxes

- Alert security team

- Create ticket

5. Send notification to user

Blue Team vs Red Team

🛡️ Blue Team (Defense)

• Monitor systems
• Detect threats
• Respond to incidents
• Harden systems
• Implement controls

⚔️ Red Team (Offense)

• Simulate attacks
• Find vulnerabilities
• Test defenses
• Social engineering
• Physical security testing

💜 Purple Team

Collaboration between Red and Blue teams - Red attacks, Blue defends, both learn and improve together.

Malware Analysis Basics

Understanding malicious software to detect and prevent it.

Static Analysis

Examine without executing

• File hashes
• Strings extraction
• PE header analysis
• Disassembly

Dynamic Analysis

Execute in sandbox

• Behavior monitoring
• Network traffic
• File system changes
• Registry modifications

Digital Forensics Fundamentals

Investigating security incidents and preserving evidence.

Forensics Process:

1. Identification: Recognize potential evidence
2. Preservation: Create forensic images, maintain chain of custody
3. Collection: Gather evidence systematically
4. Analysis: Examine evidence for artifacts
5. Documentation: Record findings thoroughly
6. Presentation: Report to stakeholders/court

Security Operations Center (SOC)

Centralized team that monitors and responds to security incidents 24/7.

Tier 1 Analyst

Alert triage, initial investigation

Tier 2 Analyst

Deep investigation, incident response

Tier 3 Analyst

Threat hunting, advanced analysis

📚 Module Summary

You've mastered security operations:

✓ SIEM and log analysis
✓ Threat intelligence
✓ SOAR and automation
✓ Blue team vs Red team
✓ Malware analysis basics
✓ Digital forensics fundamentals
✓ SOC operations

Congratulations! You've completed the Cybersecurity learning path!