What are the functions of a security operations center?

A security operations center (SOC) is a facility deployed within an organization to monitor, log, detect, and respond to identified threats and incidents. An incident is any event in an information system or network that intends to cause harm. The SOC team continuously analyzes the network traffic, the collected logs, and the generated alerts to identify security breaches and identify immediate responses to mitigate the breaches. The primary goal of SOC is to enhance the organization’s security by actively identifying and monitoring threats and ensuring compliance with the security standards and policies.

Let’s dive into the functions a SOC infrastructure performs.

Data source functions

The first step in operating a SOC is to identify the data sources and perform actions on the data collected from the source. Here are the core functions to be performed:

1. Identification of data sources: The sources of information in a network are the routers, servers, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, intrusion prevention systems, switches, and endpoints such as desktops or laptops in a network or an organization. The data on the sources are in the form of logs of activities, events data, and operation analysis data on the sources.

2. Aggregation of data: This includes collecting the data from all the identified data sources. The aggregated data is then stored in a safe database to further help in analysis, investing, and reporting.

3. Correlation of data collected: The data from the various sources are correlated to identify patterns within the data. This part uses intelligence algorithms to correlate the data from various logs of various data sources to identify suspicious events. The events help us understand the scenario of the whole incident.

The data collected can now be narrowed down to define the scope of the incident that occurred.

Scope define functions

We must polish the collected data into a more readable and structured form. To come up with a more accurate deduction about the incident, we need to define the scope and structure of the content collected. The important functions are defined below.

1. Normalization of logs: The logs collected from different resources have different formats. We need to parse and normalize them into a format that is understandable by our SOC. Now that data is in the same format, redundant logs from various sources can be eliminated and counted as one.

2. Categorization of logs: To further enhance the correlation deduction, we classify the correlated logs into categories. We define multiple categories and enter the logs into the category if it is correlated with the logs already present in the category. Categorization helps us understand the workflow and severity of the incident.

3. Prioritization of logs: It is important to note that not all the generated alerts have the same priority. It is important to assign the severity level to the log generated. The prioritization can be done based on identifying the most revenue-generating and mission-critical assets.

The data available now is categorized and prioritized and is ready to be reported to the entity asking.

Reporting functions

It is important to report our findings in a SOC. To report, we can use multiple methods and reporting to various levels in the SOC people structure.

1. Generating the executive summary: The reporting team is held accountable for the procedures, tools, resources, strategies, and people used in the process of deducing incidents. The team generates an executive summary to report on the findings and actions taken on the incident.

2. Reporting of audits: The team must provide all the audit and assessment reports to the client as proof of the incident. 

3. Analysis of the security metric: It is important to report the organization’s current security posture to the client. The report also includes suggestions on the steps and actions to improve the organization’s security. The report is used by the senior management to decide to invest in security tools and techniques.

The incident at this phase is successfully identified and reported to the management.

Post-action operations

The respective authorities can now conduct post-incident investigation and forensics on the collected reports. Forensic techniques can be used to identify the nature of the incident that occurred to deduce information about the breach. The data can be how the incident occurred, root-cause analysis, nature, and scope. The SOC team must also check compliance with the laws and regulations. The SOC team must also maintain a chain of custody of the evidence collected to back up the occurrence of the incident.

Test your understanding

To test your comprehension of the subject, match the correct answer. In the following, you have to identify which of the four categories the functions lie under.