Security Operations (SecOps)

Introduction

SecOps, or security operations, refers to a company that combines internal information security and IT operations methods to improve collaboration and reduce risks. Historically, most corporations considered security and information technology operations as different functions that separate organizations and employ unique approaches and methodologies.

These segregated organizational systems are frequently intrinsically inefficient and ineffective. Each group has distinct and frequently conflicting goals. Operations teams are responsible for increasing IT service agility and maximizing system performance. On the other hand, security teams are in charge of defending infrastructure against hostile attacks, safeguarding confidential data, and conforming to government and industry regulations.

There is a natural friction between IT operations teams, which are under pressure to deliver new applications and services as quickly as possible, and security teams, whose purpose is to protect vital IT systems and data. By fostering a security-first culture and implementing security into IT operations procedures, security operations reduce organizational and cultural obstacles while reducing inefficiencies and disputes. SecOps collaborates on threat and risk reduction, with operations professionals working closely with security experts to reduce vulnerabilities while maintaining business agility. This article will cover detailed knowledge of Security Operations.

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SecOps vs. DevOps vs. DevSecOps

SecOps, DevOps, and DevSecOps all explain different approaches to integrating distinct functional organizations and processes. SecOps combines security and IT operations, whereas DevOps combines development and IT operations to improve cooperation, remove inefficiencies, and accelerate innovation. DevSecOps extends DevOps by adding security and security considerations into all software development, delivery, and deployment stages.

Goals of SecOps

Higher-level goals of SecOps are:

• Creating cross-team collaboration to account for security across the application and software development lifecycle.
• Improve security by increasing the visibility of the security architecture.
• Ensure that all levels of management are on board with developing a strategy to expand and improve the organization’s security.

Basic Components of SecOps

• Prioritization and Earlier Detection

SecOps prefers prioritizing smaller, more productive parts over huge batches or complete programs.

• Transparency has been Improved

More linkages and coordination among development, security, and operations can lead to increased openness.

SecOps increases security in tandem with the programming and operational parts of DevOps.

• Threat Recognition

Security operations teams are often trained to ensure that everyone understands the security concerns.

Why is Security Operations Important?

Security operations are a critical function in any organization. It helps to keep people, property, and data safe and secure. Furthermore, security actions can help with crime prevention, investigation, and terrorist prevention.

Today’s organizations must address various security concerns, including cyber assaults, data breaches, and physical threats. Security operations can help to mitigate these risks by developing risk-mitigation policies and procedures. Furthermore, security operations can provide staff with training and support to be better prepared to deal with any threats.

Security operations are an important part of any company’s overall security strategy. When done properly, it can help to keep people safe and investigate potential threats. By partnering with other security tasks such as risk management and incident response, security operations can help keep an organization secure.

Technologies that Support Security Operations

The Security Operations team needs specialized tools to aid information gathering and analysis. Each of the following technologies is part of a set of building blocks needed to develop an intelligent cybersecurity posture:

• Security Information & Event Management (SIEM)

A SIEM is a next-generation event log management and analysis system. Security Operations use SIEM to monitor and analyze event logs in real time, with the SIEM acting as a data orchestration system.

These event logs are generated across an enterprise’s IT infrastructure, recording data on access and login events, anti-malware and endpoint security tool data, probable malware activities such as odd data exfiltration events, and so on. The logs are collected and examined by the SIEM, and any deviations from the baseline generate warnings. Modern SIEM systems also provide machine learning-based User and Entity Behavioral Analytics (UEBA) analysis.

• Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIP)

Threat intelligence is the information used to assist an organization in identifying, managing, and responding to security threats. There could be millions of these pieces of data or ‘threat indicators’ to examine. Due to the massive volumes of threat indicator data, companies use a Threat Intelligence Platform (TIP) created expressly to collect and analyze this data to construct a picture of an organization’s threat profile.

A TIP simplifies locating, gathering, aggregating, and interpreting data. TIP output can be utilized with a SIEM to increase the accuracy of SIEM reports and alerts.

• Security Analytics

The practical application of data analysis for cybersecurity intelligence is known as security analytics. Machine Learning (ML) and more traditional algorithms frequently examine historical and real-time data.

The analysis searches for irregularities that could indicate a security event. A security analytic software tool’s data analysis output enables an organization to be more proactive in its threat detection and diagnosis. These security solutions are capable of detecting both internal and external security threats.

• Incident Response

Issue response is the process through which a corporation manages a security incident, such as a data breach or other sort of cyber assault. A security incident can cause significant disruption to business operations. This impacts productivity, business continuity, and reputation; a security event can also put a company out of compliance with data protection and privacy rules.

• Security Orchestration & Automation Response (SOAR)

A SOAR platform is a collection of security solutions that locates and collects data from numerous sources, including a SIEM system, to automate the monotonous duties performed by security analysts.

A SOAR platform is typically built to support machine learning-based analysis and human interpretation; the latter assists in defining and prioritizing any potential threat indicators.

• Patch Management

Cybersecurity assaults frequently take advantage of flaws in software and systems. Vendors deliver fixes and upgrades that remedy security issues to close these security gaps. When patch management is automated, it is most effective.

• Threat Hunting

The technique of searching for potential vulnerabilities and threats against an IT system, including those who utilize it, is called threat hunting. Threat hunters are extremely skilled members of Security Operations. They employ their experience, cyber expertise, and specialized technologies to detect strange behavior and abnormalities within the business network.

As a starting point for Threat Hunting, known Indicators of Compromise (IoC) or Indicators of Attack (IoA) are used. Machine learning-enabled techniques assist threat hunters in sorting through the massive amounts of data collected across the enlarged network.

The Future of SecOps

The advantages of SecOps are well acknowledged. However, many firms need help to fully embrace this concept for improving procedures and processes. As we move further into the future of SecOps, organizations will discover that to fully benefit from SecOps, IT and security teams must become more aligned in terms of goals and increased communication.

Conclusion

Security operations teams oversee an organization’s systems and data security. They work to defend against threats and weaknesses and to respond to incidents that occur.

The purpose of security operations is to protect the organization’s systems and data from cyber-attacks. To do so, security operations teams must be up to date on the latest security threats and vulnerabilities. They must also be able to detect and respond to incidents as they arise.

Security operations teams are critical to defending enterprises from cyber threats. They assist keep businesses safe by preventing, detecting, and responding to threats.