Blueprint Podcast

Strategy 8: Leverage Tools and Support Analyst Workflow | 47

Tool choice can be a make-or-break decision for security analysts, driving whether getting work done is a struggle, or an efficient, stress-free experience. How can we select the right tools for the job? Which tools are most important? Answers to these questions and more are in this week's episode of Blueprint!

Blueprint Live at the SANS Blue Team Summit 2023 | 46

In this special live recording from the SANS Blue Team Summit 2023, Kathryn Knerler, Ingrid Parker, and Carson Zimmerman joined John Hubbard and share their insights and expertise with attendees by answering their pressing questions. From discussing the most effective strategies for building a successful SOC to sharing tips on how to stay ahead of emerging cyber threats, our guests provide invaluable advice for those who work in a security operations center (SOC). If you're looking to take your SOC to the next level or are simply interested in the latest developments in cybersecurity, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in to hear from some of the most respected experts in the field and gain valuable insights that could make all the difference in how you approach cybersecurity.

Strategy 7: Select and Collect the Right Data | 45

There's no denying that the average security team is completely overwhelmed with options for data to collect. With a deluge of endpoint, network, and cloud data sources to collect, how to do we identify and collect the most useful data sources? That's the topic of this episode. Join Kathryn, Ingrid, Carson, and John in this episode for a discussion on tactical data collection that will ensure your team doesn't miss the signs of an impending incident!

Strategy 6: Illuminate Adversaries with Cyber Threat Intelligence | 44

Every security team has limited budget and time, how do you know where to focus? Cyber Threat Intelligence provides those answers! In this episode, Ingrid, Carson and Kathryn describe how we can use CTI to focus our defensive efforts to understand our most likely attacks and attackers and move towards prioritizing what truly matters. This special season of the Blueprint Podcast is taking a deep dive into MITRE’s 11 Strategies of a World-Class Cyber Security Operations Center. Each episode John will break down a chapter of the book with the book’s authors Kathryn Knerler, Ingrid Parker, and Carson Zimmerman.

Strategy 5: Prioritize Incident Response | 43

No security team is perfect, so in this episode, authors Carson, Ingrid, and Kathryn discuss what it takes to prepare for fast, effective incident response capability. Covering preparation, planning and execution, Strategy 5 will teach your team how to jump into action at the earliest sign of problems.This special season of the Blueprint Podcast is taking a deep dive into MITRE’s 11 Strategies of a World-Class Cyber Security Operations Center. Each episode John will break down a chapter of the book with the book’s authors Kathryn Knerler, Ingrid Parker, and Carson Zimmerman.

Strategy 4: Hire AND Grow Quality Staff | 42

In this episode we dive deep on the "People" factor of the SOC. Who should you hire, what skills should you hire for, what backgrounds are most likely to lead to success for your team? We also get into what happens after the hire - training, growth, and supporting your team in their skill and career development. This one is a must-listen for all the managers out there. We're all trying to build the highest skilled, most supportive team with low turnover, and the tips our authors bring to this episode on chapter 4 - "Hire AND Grow Quality Staff" will be crucial in that mission.This special season of the Blueprint Podcast is taking a deep dive into MITRE’s 11 Strategies of a World-Class Cyber Security Operations Center. Each episode John will break down a chapter of the book with the book’s authors Kathryn Knerler, Ingrid Parker, and Carson Zimmerman.

Strategy 3: Build a SOC Structure to Match Your Organizational Needs | 41

In this episode we discuss how to decide on the right org structure and capabilities of your SOC. This includes questions like tiered vs. tierless models, which capabilities the SOC should focus on, centralized vs. distributed SOCs, outsourcing of duties and staff augmentation considerations, and also where the SOC might sit in the larger chart of your organization. Every SOC needs to be tailored to best meet the mission, and chapter 3 - "Build a SOC Structure to Match Your Organizational Needs" will help you get there.This special season of the Blueprint Podcast is taking a deep dive into MITRE’s 11 Strategies of a World-Class Cyber Security Operations Center. Each episode John will break down a chapter of the book with the book’s authors Kathryn Knerler, Ingrid Parker, and Carson Zimmerman.

Strategy 2: Give the SOC the Authority to Do Its Job | 40

Though a SOC is responsible for protecting your organization's assets, it is not the owner of those systems. If the SOC is not established with a clear charter and authority to act, it may quickly become difficult to be effective. Who should the SOC report to, what should be in a SOC charter, and how can we make these tough decisions? Those are the questions covered in this episode of our special "11 Strategies" season. This episode covers chapter 2 of the book - "Give the SOC the Authority to Do Its Job".This special season of the Blueprint Podcast is taking a deep dive into MITRE’s 11 Strategies of a World-Class Cyber Security Operations Center. Each episode, John will break down a chapter of the book with the book’s authors Kathryn Knerler, Ingrid Parker, and Carson Zimmerman.

Strategy 1: Know What You Are Protecting and Why | 39

As the saying goes, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there!" - an approach that is disastrous to a SOC. In order to succeed, the SOC must have a clear understanding of where they are going, how they're going to get there, and why. In this episode of our "11 Strategies" season we discuss chapter 1 of the book - "Know What You're Protecting and Why". Understanding your organization and the environment the SOC must perform in forms the foundation of all security team activity. In this episode the authors discuss the critical aspects of knowing what you're protecting. This includes consider your organization's mission, the legal, regulatory, and compliance environment, the technical capabilities you may or may not have, and the users that will inhabit the network and the actions they're going to be performing. Understanding these factors ensures your team starts off on the right path and keeps a common goal in view. This special season of the Blueprint Podcast is taking a deep dive into MITRE’s 11 Strategies of a World-Class Cyber Security Operations Center. Each episode John will break down a chapter of the book with the book’s authors Kathryn Knerler, Ingrid Parker, and Carson Zimmerman.

11 Strategies of a World-Class Security Operations Center: Fundamentals | 38

Welcome to a brand new season of Blueprint! In this intro episode we discuss "Fundamentals" chapter of the "11 Strategies of a World Class Cybersecurity Operations Center" with the authors. We get into the motivation behind updating the book and why its lessons are more important than ever in 2023. This chapter includes discussion of the functions of a SOC, basics of workflow, CTI and contextual data sources, and why ops tempo and speed is a critical factor in SOC success. This special season of the Blueprint Podcast is taking a deep dive into MITRE’s 11 Strategies of a World-Class Cyber Security Operations Center. Each episode John will break down a chapter of the book with the book’s authors Kathryn Knerler, Ingrid Parker, and Carson Zimmerman.

Brandon Evans: Cloud Security - Threats and Opportunities | 37

Ever wonder how a cloud and application security expert views risks of cloud workloads? Well, wonder no more because on this episode we have Brandon Evans - SANS Certified Instructor and lead author of SEC510: Public Cloud Security. We cover the why and how of moving their applications to the cloud, the key considerations for a successful cloud security posture, and how building your infrastructure with a cloud-native mindset can and should lead to an improved security posture. BONUS: Be sure to stay tuned to the end of the episode for a very special announcement from Brandon on the new SANS Cloud Ace podcast. Coming to all podcast directories on September 28.

Joe Lykowski: Building a Transparent, Data-Driven SOC | 36

In this episode we speak with Joe Lykowski - Cyber Defense Lead at a major manufacturing company on what it takes to build a mature, transparent, and effective SOC. Joe brings years of experience to the table in running a large organization’s security team and in this interview he draws out some of his favorite tips, strategies and more on metrics, building the right team, and what to prioritize as you build up a SOC for an org of any size.