Security Operations Center Analyst: Facts, Skills, and Next Paths

A Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst monitors network security tools, hunts for malicious activity, and responds to computer security incidents. Day-to-day work involves analyzing alerts from SIEM platforms like Splunk, investigating suspicious behavior, and documenting findings to improve defenses.

The core responsibility is to identify and act on malicious or anomalous activity across an enterprise network. Analysts conduct threat analysis using a variety of tools and data sets, as seen in roles at Leidos and Chenega Corporation. For example, Leidos analysts perform hunting for malicious activity and respond to incidents, while cFocus Software analysts investigate cybersecurity incidents using SIEM platforms and follow frameworks like NIST SP 800-61. The role typically sits within a SOC team supporting government agencies or large enterprises.

The median salary for this role is approximately $127,560. The most requested skills in current job postings are Cybersecurity (70%), SIEM (70%), Splunk (70%), Incident Response (40%), Documentation (40%), Analytics & Reporting (30%), Compliance (30%), and Linux Administration (30%).