Lab Overview
Room Objective
Play through a day in the life of a Security Analyst and experience their everyday duties. The room introduces the SOC Level 1 Analyst role, the structure of a Security Operations Center, and the daily responsibilities of a junior analyst working on a 24/7 defensive team.
Methodology / Approach
Worked through each task sequentially in a narrative format, experiencing the SOC analyst role from the perspective of a first day on the job. Engaged with the SOC team structure, understood each colleague's role, and explored what a realistic 8-hour shift looks like for a junior analyst.
Walkthrough
Key Concepts Covered
- Junior Security Analyst (SOC L1): The first line of defence in a 24/7 SOC team. Primary responsibilities are monitoring and investigating security alerts, participating in SOC brainstorms, cooperating with other teams, and continuously learning about new attacks and defences.
- Security Operations Center (SOC): The team that protects an organisation collectively. Each role contributes in a distinct way across the defensive lifecycle.
- SOC team structure:
| Role |
Person |
Responsibility |
| Junior Security Analyst (L1) |
Me (Evan.cyber) |
Monitor alerts, perform initial triage, escalate complex cases |
| Senior Analyst |
Will Griffin |
Handles complex cases after L1 initial analysis, mentors junior analysts |
| SOC Engineer |
Corey Stevens |
Maintains security tools, configures alerts — no shift work |
| SOC Manager |
Emily Conway |
Reports SOC results to top management, keeps the team coordinated |
| Incident Responder |
Daniel Herrera |
Called on demand during major incidents only |
- A day in the life: During a busy 8-hour shift, a junior analyst works through a queue of "tickets" — alerts and tasks to resolve in a timely manner. The role is demanding but rewarding, particularly when a real threat is stopped from damaging the organisation.
- Career progression: The SOC L1 role is the entry point. From here, analysts can advance to Senior Analyst, SOC Engineer, Incident Responder, or SOC Manager depending on their interests and strengths.
Tasks & Findings
| Task |
Topic |
Answer |
| Task 1 |
Which team does a Junior Security Analyst work with? |
Blue Team |
| Task 2 |
What is the full name of the SOC? |
Security Operations Center |
| Task 3 |
What is the day-in-the-life experience about? |
Monitoring alerts and stopping real threats during an 8-hour shift |