As a Cyber Security Analyst, every day is a new challenge. Our role is to help safeguard our Security Bundle clients from cyber threats, protect their sensitive data, and ensure the smooth functioning of systems.
This post will give you an overview of our daily tasks:
1. Monitoring Security Alerts and Incident Response
We have a number of systems which proactively raise alerts for vulnerabilities, warnings and potential incidents. The day starts with checking through these alerts. For anything raised, we investigate the root cause and mitigate the threat. These alerts can range from suspicious files found in an email to impossible travel from a user’s account (for example, they used a system in London at 14:00, then in China at 15:00).
2. Application Control and Web Filtering
We have two security controls in place which need regular reviewing, to both ensure that we allow everything needed to ensure our clients are able to work, while keeping the bad guys away!
Application Allowlisting: We maintain application control lists to allow only authorised software to run. This prevents malicious or unauthorised applications from running. Ringfencing™ is also utilised where possible.
Web Filtering: We configure web content filtering tools to block access to malicious websites, phishing domains, or inappropriate content.
3. Security Endpoint Protection
We monitor and enforce security policies on endpoints (laptops, desktops and servers). These policies include antivirus configuration and encryption settings. We also ensure that known vulnerabilities are identified on our devices and security patches are applied, to prevent known vulnerabilities from being exploited.
4. Assisting Clients with Industry Certifications
We guide clients through the process of achieving certifications, including Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus. This involves assessing their security controls, identifying gaps, and implementing necessary changes.
5. Monitoring Logs for Anomalies
This involves analysing logs, identifying anomalies, and adjusting security policies to maintain a balance between security and functionality.
6. Keeping Up-to-Date with Cyber Security Trends
Cyber threats evolve rapidly. It’s important that we keep up-to-date with Cyber Security resources (such as whitepapers), threat intelligence feeds and attend webinars & conferences to stay in the loop about emerging threats and attack techniques.
7. Collaboration and Communication
We collaborate with the rest of the business – be it the support team, projects team or Account Management team. Effective communication is essential to align security practices with business goals.
Educating our colleagues and clients about security best practices is part of our job. We carry out phishing tests and create awareness campaigns to help build the “human firewall”.
Conclusion
Being a Cyber Security Analyst is both challenging and rewarding. Our work ensures that businesses can thrive in a secure and resilient environment. So, next time you see a security alert, remember that there are dedicated analysts behind the scenes, tirelessly protecting your data!
