Top 50 SOC Interview Questions and Answers

Prepare for your cybersecurity job with the Top 50 SOC Interview Questions and Answers. Get expert insights to ace your Security Operations Center interview.

1. What is a Security Operations Center (SOC)?

A SOC is a centralized unit that deals with security incidents, monitoring, detection, and response to cybersecurity threats in real time.

2. What are the primary functions of a SOC?

Continuous monitoring
Threat detection
Incident response
Log analysis
Forensic investigations

3. What is the difference between a SOC and a NOC?

A SOC focuses on cybersecurity threats, while a NOC (Network Operations Center) ensures IT infrastructure availability and performance.

4. What are the key roles in a SOC?

SOC Analyst (Tier 1, 2, 3)
Incident Responder
Threat Hunter
SOC Manager
Forensic Investigator

5. What are SOC Tiers?

Tier 1: Monitors alerts and escalates threats
Tier 2: Investigate and respond to threats
Tier 3: Conducts threat hunting and deep analysis

6. What is SIEM, and why is it important in a SOC?

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) collects, analyzes, and correlates logs from different sources for real-time threat detection.

7. Name some popular SIEM tools.

Splunk
IBM QRadar
ArcSight
Microsoft Sentinel

8. What is the MITRE ATT&CK framework?

A knowledge base that categorizes cyber adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to help with threat analysis.

9. What is the Kill Chain model?

A step-by-step model describing different stages of a cyberattack, from reconnaissance to execution.

10. What is a false positive in SOC?

A security alert that incorrectly identifies benign activity as a threat.

11. What is a false negative in SOC?

A missed security threat that is not detected by security tools.

12. What is an IOC (Indicator of Compromise)?

Signs of a security breach, such as unusual network traffic or unauthorized logins.

13. What is an IOA (Indicator of Attack)?

Signals that an attack is actively taking place, such as lateral movement or privilege escalation.

14. What is Threat Intelligence?

Data is collected about emerging threats, attackers, and vulnerabilities to enhance security defenses.

15. What are some types of threat intelligence?

Strategic
Tactical
Operational
Technical

16. What is log aggregation?

The process of collecting and centralizing logs from various sources for analysis.

17. What is log correlation?

Finding relationships between different log events to identify security incidents.

18. What is endpoint detection and response (EDR)?

A security solution that monitors and responds to threats on endpoints like servers, desktops, and laptops.

19. What is XDR (Extended Detection and Response)?

An advanced security solution that integrates multiple security layers, including endpoints, networks, and emails.

20. What is a honeypot?

A decoy system designed to attract attackers and study their tactics.

21. What is phishing?

A social engineering attack that tricks users into revealing sensitive information through fake emails or websites.

22. What is spear phishing?

A targeted phishing attack aimed at specific individuals or organizations.

23. What is malware?

Malicious software designed to harm, exploit, or disrupt systems. Examples include viruses, trojans, and ransomware.

24. What is Ransomware?

A type of malware that encrypts files and demands payment for decryption.

25. What is DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)?

An attack that overwhelms a target with excessive traffic to cause downtime.

26. What is a brute force attack?

An attack that repeatedly tries different password combinations to gain access.

27. What is credential stuffing?

Using leaked username-password combinations from one breach to attack other services.

28. What is privilege escalation?

Gaining higher system privileges through vulnerabilities or exploits.

29. What is lateral movement in cybersecurity?

The process by which an attacker moves deeper into a network after gaining initial access.

30. What is a zero-day vulnerability?

A security flaw that is unknown to the vendor and has no patch available.

31. What is a vulnerability assessment?

A process of identifying, classifying, and prioritizing security weaknesses.

32. What is penetration testing?

Simulating a cyberattack to test security defenses.

33. What is the difference between vulnerability assessment and penetration testing?

Vulnerability assessment finds security weaknesses.
Penetration testing exploits weaknesses to assess impact.

34. What is security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR)?

A platform that integrates security tools to automate and streamline SOC processes.

35. What is a firewall?

A security device that controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on rules.

36. What is IDS (Intrusion Detection System)?

A system that monitors network traffic for suspicious activity.

37. What is IPS (Intrusion Prevention System)?

A system that blocks malicious traffic based on predefined rules.

38. What is the difference between IDS and IPS?

IDS detects threats but doesn’t block them.
IPS detects and actively blocks threats.

39. What is endpoint security?

Protecting individual devices (endpoints) from cybersecurity threats.

40. What is network security monitoring (NSM)?

Continuous monitoring of network traffic for anomalies and security threats.

41. What is incident response?

A structured approach to handling cybersecurity incidents.

42. What are the phases of incident response?

Preparation
Detection & Analysis
Containment
Eradication
Recovery
Lessons Learned

43. What is a security playbook?

A set of predefined response actions for handling security incidents.

44. What is forensic analysis in cybersecurity?

Investigating digital evidence to determine the cause of security incidents.

45. What is data exfiltration?

The unauthorized transfer of data from a system.

46. What is a security audit?

A review of security policies, controls, and configurations to ensure compliance.

47. What is compliance in cybersecurity?

Adhering to security regulations and standards such as GDPR, ISO 27001, and NIST.

48. What is red teaming?

A simulated cyberattack to test an organization’s security defenses.

49. What is blue teaming?

Defensive security experts who protect systems and respond to attacks.

50. What is purple teaming?

A collaborative approach between red and blue teams to improve security defenses.

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Author:-

Rajat Sharma

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