Become an Incident Handler
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In this Career Path, you will learn the incident response process, from building an incident response kit and developing an incident response team, to identifying, containing, and recovering from incidents. We then steer away from a traditional “defensive-only” approach to introduce you to the attacker’s world.
Frequently Asked Questions
An Incident Handler is collects and analyzes evidence related to a threat or attack, determines root cause, directs other security analysts and team members in how to stop the attack, and implements rapid system and service recovery.
Incident Response is focused on the containment of a threat or attack. Digital Forensics involves a thorough examination of the data in order to gain a complete understanding of the breach in order to remediate the attack and prevent a recurrence. In other words: IR stops the bad buys as quick as possible. DF takes a methodical look at what happened to make sure it doesn't happen again.
You will need strong technical skills in the areas of: Security Vulnerabilities (knowing the how, why, and where of cyber attacks helps in preventing attacks from happening in the first place), Procedures & Policies (ensures your organization can handle intrusion situations correctly), Intrusion Techniques (knowing the attack vectors your company is vulnerable to and the techniques might be used by attackers to gain access helps you recognize those activities and respond quickly), Digital Forensics (knowing how to investigate after a breach).
You will need the ability to remain composed. If you’re a naturally stressed person, you might want to reconsider career paths. The ability to remain calm and think straight about your company’s policies and procedures to follow during a breach comes a long way and is a crucial skill for careers in Incident Handling and Response. You will also need good communication skills. Not everybody in your organization speaks Cybersecurity. Being able to explain what happened and what’s the best remediation plan in your own words will not only make you a valuable asset, but will also ensure that there’s no miscommunication in time of crisis. Finally, you will need organization skills. In a high-stress and fast-paced response, good organization skills will help you through each step on the way to recovery.
This is a senior-level career path, and we recommend familiarity with network fundamentals, network monitoring and threat hunting, and cybersecurity policy. For professionals still building their skill sets, we recommend the Network Engineer, SOC Analyst 1, or SOC Analyst 2 career paths
How Long Will It Take To Be Job Ready?
I can dedicate
hours per week
What Our Learners Are saying
"The knowledge and skills I gained with Cybrary helped me to land my first IT role as a Digital Field Support Administrator. Knowing that I have the Cybrary community behind me has been helpful as I continue to learn and advance my career goals."
"Becoming part of the Cybrary community was a total game changer. Cybrary was instrumental in helping me break into cybersecurity, despite having no prior IT experience or security-related degree."
"I was able to earn my CISSP certification within 60 days of signing up for Cybrary Insider Pro and got hired as a Security Analyst conducting security assessments and penetration testing."
Career Prospects
Average Salary via Payscale.com
What Will I Learn?
Defensive Security
Focused on trying to find the bad guys. Topics such as threat intelligence, threat hunting, network monitoring, incident response. Defensive security is a reactive measure taken once a vulnerability is found through prevention, detection, and response.
