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Digital Forensics & Incident Response Roadmap

DFIR SOC Roadmap Digital Forensics
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SOC & DFIR Roadmap

Introduction

👋 Hello, It’s MMOX

I know—you’ve seen countless roadmaps for starting a cybersecurity career. But let’s face it: any path can get you there if you stick with it. Untitled Here’s my suggested route to help you stay on track and avoid getting lost.

Zero Level: Building the Foundation

If you’re starting out in cybersecurity, you’ve probably heard you need to know a bit of everything. But to really excel, it’s essential to understand how systems work from all angles—grasp the basics, how data moves across networks, and get to know operating systems inside out. It’s not everything, but it’s where you should start. Check out the next sections to dive deeper.

Foundation

1. Introduction to Cybersecurity

2. Networking Fundamentals

3. Operating Systems: Windows and Linux

LinuxVsWin

4. Basic Security Operations

Beginner Level: SOC Roadmap

As a SOC analyst, you never know what challenges each day will bring that’s the exciting part of our job. But with the thrill comes risk. Staying up-to-date is crucial, which is why you should start by learning defense in depth, common attack techniques, widely used operating systems, threat identification, and incident handling. If you’re up for it, dive into malware analysis too. And always remember: to defeat attackers, you need to think like them.

SOC-Room

Defense in Depth & Attacks

  • Goal: Learn about layered security strategies and understand how different attack vectors are used to compromise systems. Study defense-in-depth tactics that combine multiple security layers to protect against various threats.
  • Resources:
    • Free:
    • Paid:
      • SANS SEC401.2: Defense In Depth (Paid) - A comprehensive module part of the SANS SEC401 course, focusing on layered security approaches.
  • Practice:
    • Analyze case studies of layered security defenses using real-world scenarios.
    • Practice simulated attacks and defenses on Let’s Defend.

Windows Fundamentals

  • Goal: Understand the basics of Windows operating systems, including their structure, security features, and common vulnerabilities. This knowledge is critical for identifying and mitigating threats within a Windows environment.
  • Resources:
  • Practice:
    • Explore free rooms on Active Directory on TryHackMe.
    • Use Let’s Defend (Free and Paid) to simulate SOC environments and handle incidents involving Windows security.

Threat Management & Threat Investigation

  • Goal:
    • Understand the fundamentals of threat management, including threat detection, response, and mitigation. Develop the skills needed to manage security incidents effectively.
    • Master techniques for conducting effective threat investigations, including identifying, containing, and eradicating threats.
  • Resources:
  • Practice:
    • Implement a threat management process in a virtual or simulated environment.
    • Complete threat detection and management tasks on CyberDefenders (Free and Paid).
    • Solve labs focused on threat investigation techniques on Let’s Defend.

Incident Handling Process

IRProcess

  • Goal: Learn the incident handling process used by SOC analysts to respond to security incidents, from detection to remediation.
  • Resources:
  • Practice:
    • Create and refine incident response playbooks for various attack scenarios.
    • Use Let’s Defend to participate in real-time incident handling simulations.

Malware Analysis Fundamentals

Hacker Tools and Techniques

  • Goal: Learn about various hacker tools and techniques used in cyberattacks. Understand how these tools are used to exploit vulnerabilities.
  • Resources:
    • Free:
    • Paid:
      • SANS SEC504.2-5: Hacker Tools and Techniques (Paid) - In-depth exploration of hacker tools, techniques, and countermeasures.
  • Practice:
    • Use simulated environments to practice using hacker tools on CyberDefenders.

Your SOC Path

YourSOCPath

Intermidiate Level: DFIR Roadmap

If you’re set to dive into digital forensics and incident response (DFIR), you’ve found your destination. Get ready to delve into the advanced sections and elevate your expertise in this critical field. But for the sake of avoiding redundancy, don’t skip the SOC section—make sure to cover it before jumping ahead.

DF2

DFIR Fundamentals

  • Goal: Understand the basics of Digital Forensics and Incident Response, including essential tools and techniques for acquiring and analyzing digital evidence.
  • Resources:
  • Practice:
    • Solve beginner challenges on Let’s Defend and CyberDefenders to apply foundational DFIR skills.

Practical Windows Forensics

  • Goal: Learn in-depth Windows forensics, including the analysis of various Windows artifacts and the reconstruction of user activities.
  • Resources:
  • Practice:
    • Analyze Windows artifacts and evidence in scenarios on CyberDefenders.

Network Security

  • Goal: Focus on network security principles and how they apply to DFIR, including packet analysis and intrusion detection.
  • Resources:
  • Practice:
    • Solve network forensics and intrusion detection labs on CyberDefenders.

Practical Labs & Challenges

DFChall

Advanced DFIR Challenges

Practical Memory Forensics

mem

  • Goal: Master memory forensics techniques to analyze volatile data and uncover hidden threats and processes.
  • Resources:
  • Practice:
    • Analyze memory dumps for malware and other malicious activities on Let’s Defend.

Real Cases Analysis

  • Goal: Analyze real-life DFIR cases to understand how digital evidence is used in investigations and legal proceedings.
  • Resources:
  • Practice:
    • Apply learned skills to analyze provided case studies on CyberDefenders - Let’s Defend - BTLO.

Additional Resources & Continuous Learning

Note: This roadmap provides a structured guide for developing skills in both SOC and DFIR roles. Progress through each stage at your own pace and ensure a thorough understanding before moving on to the next.

MM0X’s SOCIAL MEDIA