Initial Triage & Response
Incident Response Analyst
First responders to cyber incidents—detecting, containing, and eradicating threats before they cause catastrophic damage.
What is Incident Response?
A structured approach to handling security incidents: detection, containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned. Guided by frameworks like NIST 800-61 and aligned to MITRE ATT&CK for threat context.
Core Skills
Technical
Log analysis, SIEM/XDR (Sentinel, Splunk, Defender), EDR, packet analysis (Wireshark, Zeek), malware triage, scripting (Python, PowerShell)
Analytical
Pattern recognition, root cause analysis, evidence correlation, timeline reconstruction
Operational
Windows/Linux administration, networking fundamentals, cloud platforms
Frameworks
MITRE ATT&CK, NIST IR lifecycle, Cyber Kill Chain
Compliance
GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, NIS2 notification requirements
Key Responsibilities
Preparation
Maintain IR plans, establish baselines, run tabletop exercises
Detection & Analysis
Monitor alerts, triage events, assess scope and impact
Containment
Isolate affected systems, block malicious activity
Eradication
Remove malware, patch vulnerabilities, eliminate persistence
Recovery
Restore systems, verify clean state, resume operations
Post-Incident
Document findings, update detections, improve procedures
Certifications
GCIH
Detection, response, and resolution fundamentals
ECIH
Entry-level incident handling methodology
FOR508
Advanced IR and threat hunting (SANS)
GX-IH
Experienced handler validation
CySA+
Threat detection and response (entry-level)
SC-200
Microsoft security operations
Career Path
Entry points:
SOC Analyst (Tier 1/2) → IR Analyst
IT/System Admin → Security Operations → IR
Help Desk → SOC → IR (longer path, but common)
Build skills through:
CTFs and labs (TryHackMe, HackTheBox, CyberDefenders, LetsDefend)
Home lab environments (DVWA, DetectionLab, YOURITS-Lab)
Vendor training (Splunk, Microsoft, CrowdStrike free tiers)
Community engagement (local meetups, BSides, Blue Team Village)
Progression:
IR Analyst → Senior IR → IR Lead/Manager
IR Analyst → Threat Hunter → Detection Engineer
IR Analyst → DFIR Specialist → Forensic Examiner
Quick Start
Learn the fundamentals — Networking, Windows/Linux, log analysis
Get hands-on — TryHackMe SOC Level 1, LetsDefend IR paths
Understand the frameworks — NIST IR lifecycle, MITRE ATT&CK
Tool proficiency — Pick a SIEM (Sentinel/Splunk), learn one EDR well
Certify — CySA+ or GCIH to validate baseline competency
Practice continuously — IR is perishable skill; regular exercises maintain readiness
Incident response is where preparation meets execution. Build the skills before you need them.
Training Resources
CyberDefenders: Put your knowledge into practice with gamified cyber security challenges.
Blue Team Labs Online: A platform for defenders to practice their skills in security investigations and challenges covering
Try Hack Me: Cyber Defense Learning Path
Immersive Labs (Free Tier): Provides scenario-based learning for threat detection and mitigation.
Blue Team Labs Online: Free beginner exercises on log analysis, threat hunting, and incident response.
RangeForce Community Edition: Offers free labs for SOC analysts and Blue Team practitioners.
Splunk Education Free Courses: Covers basic and intermediate skills for using Splunk in security operations.
Velociraptor Training: Offers free resources to learn digital forensics and threat-hunting using Velociraptor.
Hack The Box (Blue Tier Challenges): Free scenarios that mimic real-world defence challenges.
Microsoft Learn for Security Engineers: Free courses and hands-on labs to prepare for Microsoft Security certifications (e.g., SC-200).
SANS: Provides several free resources to support the community (Blogs, Webcasts, Posters, Cheatsheets and White Papers)
Other Resources
NIST Cybersecurity Framework: Helping organisations to better understand and improve their management of cybersecurity risk
Awesome Cybersecurity Blue Team: A collection of resources, tools, and other things for cybersecurity blue teams.
SANS Blue Team Wiki: Contains valuable Blue Team resources for both beginners and seasoned professionals.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Blog: Become a Microsoft Defender for Cloud Ninja: A blog post curating many Microsoft Defender for Cloud resources, organised in a format that can help a Blue Teamer go from having no knowledge of Microsoft Defender for Cloud to designing and implementing different scenarios.
The Cyber Kill Chain framework: Developed by Lockheed Martin and is part of an Intelligence Driven Defense model for identifying and preventing cyber intrusion activity. The model identifies what the adversaries must complete to achieve their objective. The seven steps of the Cyber Kill Chain enhance visibility into an attack and enrich an analyst’s understanding of an adversary’s tactics, techniques and procedures.
SigmaHQ Rule Repository: Learn how to use Sigma rules to detect threats in SIEM systems.
Honeynet Project: A collection of resources for studying network traffic and honeypot deployment.
MITRE ATT&CK Framework: Free access to a comprehensive adversarial tactics and techniques database.
AlienVault Open Threat Exchange (OTX): A community platform for sharing and consuming threat intelligence.
The DFIR Report: Detailed breakdowns of real-world attacks and defensive strategies.
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