One of the fastest-growing occupations in the IT industry is incident response. An incident responder is a highly competent cybersecurity expert who is in charge of responding to security threats and incidents. He or she also determines the causes of incidents, mitigates damages, thoroughly investigates the situation, and makes recommendations to close any gaps in the organization’s present security posture.
To carry out an incident response plan, incident responders use a variety of computer forensic techniques. To qualify for a career as an Incident Responder, prior experience in computer forensics or computer investigations is frequently required. Obtaining security clearance is also necessary.
In this article, we’ll go over everything you need to know about being an Incident Responder.
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Prerequisites for Incident Responder’s job
To be considered for this position, you must have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer forensics, or a related profession. In addition, security analysts must have two to three years of incident response experience. Most senior incident responders and senior intrusion analysts with more than five years of relevant experience.
Becoming an incident responder also necessitates the acquisition of some hard skills. They must, at the absolute least, be familiar with:
- Cloud computing
- Hardware and software technologies for computers
- eDiscovery software like Clearwell, Relativity, NUIX
- Monitoring software for the system (e.g., SIEM and SOAR)
- Web backup strategies associated with application security
- Installation, patching, and setup of Linux, UNIX, and Windows operating systems
- TCP/IP-based network communication in PERL, ASM, PHP, Java, C, C#, and C++
- Forensic software with advanced features (e.g., FTK, EnCase, Cellebrite, XRY, Helix)
Incident responders also serve as detectives sometimes. Therefore, analytical and problem-solving skills along with oral and written communication skills, are required. The ability to communicate convincingly and eloquently, as with most public-facing security professions, will always bring you further than any other skill set.
Duties performed by Incident Responders
One of the most important duties of an incident responder is to avoid cyberattacks or to lessen their impact on the IT environment as quickly as possible. Knowledge of the organization’s various hardware and software technology is required for this to be done efficiently. Some firms, for example, employ Linux operating systems, while others choose Microsoft Windows, and many prefer a diverse IT infrastructure that includes both.
Other responsibilities of an incident responder include:
- Identify security flaws in the current system
- Perform malware analysis and reverse engineering
- Define the steps that must be taken to respond to security incidents
- Create a strategy to assess security holes in terms of policies and processes
- Perform monthly security audits, risk analysis and assessment, network forensics, and penetration testing
- Establish channels of communication with internal and external customers, as well as other stakeholders
- Check and monitor the company’s systems and network for signs of an attack and take preventative measures to avoid it
- Prepare a report that contains a root cause analysis of the incident, as well as a description of what happened and why it happened. This report should be sent to upper management, end-users, and security administrators
Certifications required
An incident responder might get a variety of certifications in the field of information security. However, picking the one you like isn’t necessarily the best option. Check with the employer or group you’re interested in to see which certifications they require. The following is a list of some commonly held certificates that are beneficial to Incident Responders:
- CertNexus IRBIZ Certification
- Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
- Certified Penetration Tester (CPT)
- Certified Computer Examiner (CCE)
- GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH)
- GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA)
- GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst (GCFA)
- GIAC Certified Forensic Examiner (GCFE)
- Certified Reverse Engineering Analyst (CREA)
- Certified Computer Forensics Examiner (CCFE)
Salary offered
Incident responders in management or leadership positions can earn more than USD 105,000 per year. Because multiple job titles are similar to incident responder, the pay packages for each job title differ. The following is a list of job titles that are similar to incident responder:
- Cyber Incident Responder
- Incident Response Engineer
- Computer Support Specialist
- Cybersecurity Incident Responder
- Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) Engineer
Cybersecurity is an ongoing phenomenon in the domain of information warfare. Cyberthreats and incidents are rapidly outpacing the improvements that businesses are making.
Even state-sponsored attacks are increasing at a breakneck pace. Various risks connected to regulation, mergers and acquisitions, workers, company operations, Internet of Things (IoT), supply chain, and technology occur frequently, according to Aon’s 2019 Cyber Security Risk Report. These threats are detailed in this research, and they demonstrate how, as digital transformations spread, the global business’s attack surface expands quickly and in unanticipated ways.
Businesses and employers must always look for incident responders to successfully deal with cyber-incidents to survive and grow in today’s continual information warfare. The need for this employment function is high, and it will continue to climb as businesses, both private and public, strive to protect their key information assets.
Businesses and employers must always look for incident responders to successfully deal with cyber-incidents to survive and grow in today’s continual information warfare. The need for this employment function is high, and it will continue to climb as businesses, both private and public, strive to protect their key information assets. The professionals need to be an expert of this industry.
uCertify is an online platform that provides comprehensive courses to help you master the skills needed to accelerate your career in the industry. We provide courses based on the CertNexus certification exam. The course is meant to meet the IRZ-110 exam objectives and teach students how to integrate documentation into risk management, investigate cybersecurity issues, and more. The IRZ-110 training course emphasizes the information, resources, and abilities required to meet incident response and incident handling process standards.
