What is Incident Response?

The job description of a cyber security Incident Responder encompasses a variety of significant duties. The main element of this role is the network and system monitoring for the purpose of detecting and preventing intrusions; thoroughly assessing and identifying all security weaknesses and gaps in the computer systems and networks of an organisation. When it comes to a cyber breach, individuals on this pathway are the first to respond. They examine what has happened and from there, work to limit harm. Following an analysis of the root causes, adjustments are suggested to prevent future occurrences of the same kind. The number of risks or incidents that occur each day will often vary, depending on the size of the organisation and the scope of the risks it faces. A security incident responder's duties and responsibilities are sometimes comparable to those of a Digital Forensics or a Cybercrime Investigator. Of course, preventing cyber security problems altogether is the ultimate objective of a cyber security Incident Responder. For that purpose, educating other employees about potential hazards that could lead to or assist in cybercrimes will be one of the responsibilities of this role. Since many businesses continue to outsource their incident handling and management, these professionals may work directly for an organisation or as independent consultants. On quieter days, an Incident Responder might create or approve guidelines and policies for managing incidents or organise and carry out exercises to test these.

What are the roles and responsibilities of an Incident Response Practitioner?

By following outlined methods to analyse and address cyber security breaches, you protect the security of an organisation's information systems and data while practising this speciality. Additionally, after discovering the breaches, you may create and put into action plans to stop them from happening again. The tasks likely included in this role are as follows: Perform basic security device troubleshooting, keeping track of the health of security devices, and reporting serious issues to engineers. Utilise programmes and technologies that have been set to find potential cyber security breaches. Assist in establishing incident response capabilities, rules, and procedures. Within stated SLAs, respond to notifications from monitoring/detection systems. Assess breaches' origin, nature, and effects to support threat intelligence. Keep records of all actions taken.

What is the salary of an Incident Response Practitioner?

As of September 2022, the median salary for an Incident Response practitioner is £65,000, although salaries of £100,000 for senior practitioners have been reported. Most of the higher salaries are based in the UK’s larger cities, so it is expected that roles elsewhere may offer lower wages. Data has been taken from ITJobsWatch (IT Jobs Watch | Real-Time Digital & IT Job Market Trends & Actionable Insights), which calculates the median from job vacancies published online within the last 6 months.

What are the knowledge, skills, and behaviours required in Incident Response?

The ability to set up, run and upkeep secure systems, as well as detect and react to security incidents and gather and apply threat intelligence. Strong knowledge of security issues with large-scale infrastructure security, attacker models, safe-secure designs, and cyber-physical systems like the Internet of Things and Industrial Control Systems. A firm understanding of technical information on exploits and distributed malicious systems, as well as related methods for identification and analysis. Knowledge about the motives, actions, and strategies employed by attackers, including the networks used to distribute malware, attack tactics, and financial transactions. The ability to analyse and monitor system data as well as locate, classify, and log incidents. Collect data to aid in incident resolution and appropriately assign incidents. Assist in the development of incident management guidelines and investigation techniques. The ability to work methodically while adhering to somewhat intricately established processes.

What are the career paths in Incident Response?

Only one or two incident response practitioners will be present in most organisations. If there is a high-level breach, such organisations will use specialists from other fields, such as the IT operations team, to staff the incident response team. There may be senior incident response jobs and practitioner roles in other organisations. Incident Response Practitioner: An Incident Response Practitioner tends to undertake all tasks outlined in the ‘Role Responsibilities’ section and is not likely to manage responses to the most severe attacks. Incident Response Lead: An Incident Response Lead will perform the same set of duties as a practitioner but will be more involved during serious situations, and unsupervised. An individual in this role will likely be in charge of creating policies, training, or overseeing employees. Incident Responder: An Incident Responder may work in a Security Operations Centre (a SOC), or as part of a Computer Incident Response Team (a CIRT). This professional could also be the sole person in a small business in charge of handling incidents.

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Incident Response

Incident Response Career Overview