Cyber Defense Incident Responder

Work Role ID: 531  |  Workforce Element: Cybersecurity

What does this work role do? Investigates, analyzes, and responds to cyber incidents within the network environment or enclave.

CORE KSATs
KSAT ID Description KSAT
22 * Knowledge of computer networking concepts and protocols, and network security methodologies. Knowledge
37 Knowledge of disaster recovery continuity of operations plans. Knowledge
50 Knowledge of how network services and protocols interact to provide network communications. Knowledge
60 Knowledge of incident categories, incident responses, and timelines for responses. Knowledge
61 Knowledge of incident response and handling methodologies. Knowledge
66 Knowledge of intrusion detection methodologies and techniques for detecting host and network-based intrusions via intrusion detection technologies. Knowledge
81A Knowledge of network protocols such as TCP/IP, Dynamic Host Configuration, Domain Name System (DNS), and directory services. Knowledge
105 Knowledge of system and application security threats and vulnerabilities (e.g., buffer overflow, mobile code, cross-site scripting, Procedural Language/Structured Query Language [PL/SQL] and injections, race conditions, covert channel, replay, return-oriented attacks, malicious code). Knowledge
108 * Knowledge of risk management processes (e.g., methods for assessing and mitigating risk). Knowledge
150 Knowledge of what constitutes a network attack and the relationship to both threats and vulnerabilities. Knowledge
153 Skill of identifying, capturing, containing, and reporting malware. Skill
217 Skill in preserving evidence integrity according to standard operating procedures or national standards. Skill
470 Coordinate and provide expert technical support to enterprise-wide cyber defense technicians to resolve cyber defense incidents. Task
716A Monitor external data sources (e.g., cyber defense vendor sites, Computer Emergency Response Teams, Security Focus) to maintain currency of cyber defense threat condition and determine which security issues may have an impact on the enterprise. Task
741A Coordinate incident response functions. Task
745 Perform cyber defense trend analysis and reporting. Task
755 Perform initial, forensically sound collection of images and inspect to discern possible mitigation/remediation on enterprise systems. Task
823 Receive and analyze network alerts from various sources within the enterprise and determine possible causes of such alerts. Task
882 Write and publish cyber defense techniques, guidance, and reports on incident findings to appropriate constituencies. Task
893 Skill in securing network communications. Skill
895 Skill in recognizing and categorizing types of vulnerabilities and associated attacks. Skill
896 Skill in protecting a network against malware. Skill
897 Skill in performing damage assessments. Skill
923A Skill in using security event correlation tools. Skill
984 Knowledge of cyber defense policies, procedures, and regulations. Knowledge
991 Knowledge of different classes of attacks (e.g., passive, active, insider, close-in, distribution). Knowledge
1029A Knowledge of malware analysis concepts and methodologies. Knowledge
1030 Collect intrusion artifacts (e.g., source code, malware, trojans) and use discovered data to enable mitigation of potential cyber defense incidents within the enterprise. Task
1033 Knowledge of basic system administration, network, and operating system hardening techniques. Knowledge
1069 Knowledge of general attack stages (e.g., foot printing and scanning, enumeration, gaining access, escalation or privileges, maintaining access, network exploitation, covering tracks). Knowledge
1072 Knowledge of network security architecture concepts including topology, protocols, components, and principles (e.g., application of defense-in-depth). Knowledge
1157 * Knowledge of national and international laws, regulations, policies, and ethics as they relate to cybersecurity. Knowledge
1158 * Knowledge of cybersecurity principles. Knowledge
1159 * Knowledge of cyber threats and vulnerabilities. Knowledge
3431 Knowledge of OSI model and underlying network protocols (e.g., TCP/IP). Knowledge
5670 Write and publish after action reviews. Task
6210 Knowledge of cloud service models and possible limitations for an incident response. Knowledge
6900 * Knowledge of specific operational impacts of cybersecurity lapses. Knowledge
6935 * Knowledge of cloud computing service models Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS). Knowledge
6938 * Knowledge of cloud computing deployment models in private, public, and hybrid environment and the difference between on-premises and off-premises environments. Knowledge
ADDITIONAL KSATs
KSAT ID Description KSAT
29 Knowledge of data backup, types of backups (e.g., full, incremental), and recovery concepts and tools. Knowledge
49 Knowledge of host/network access control mechanisms (e.g., access control list). Knowledge
87 Knowledge of network traffic analysis methods. Knowledge
93 Knowledge of packet-level analysis. Knowledge
478 Correlate incident data to identify specific vulnerabilities and make recommendations that enable expeditious remediation. Task
738 Perform analysis of log files from a variety of sources (e.g., individual host logs, network traffic logs, firewall logs, and intrusion detection system [IDS] logs) to identify possible threats to network security. Task
743 Perform cyber defense incident triage, to include determining scope, urgency, and potential impact; identifying the specific vulnerability; and making recommendations that enable expeditious remediation. Task
762 Perform real-time cyber defense incident handling (e.g., forensic collections, intrusion correlation and tracking, threat analysis, and direct system remediation) tasks to support deployable Incident Response Teams (IRTs). Task
861 Track and document cyber defense incidents from initial detection through final resolution. Task
961 Employ approved defense-in-depth principles and practices (e.g., defense-in-multiple places, layered defenses, security robustness). Task
992C Knowledge of threat environments (e.g., first generation threat actors, threat activities). Knowledge
1031 Serve as technical expert and liaison to law enforcement personnel and explain incident details as required. Task
1141A Knowledge of an organization’s information classification program and procedures for information compromise. Knowledge
2179 Coordinate with intelligence analysts to correlate threat assessment data. Task
3362A Knowledge of key factors of the operational environment and related threats and vulnerabilities. Knowledge
3561 Knowledge of the common networking and routing protocols(e.g. TCP/IP), services (e.g., web, mail, DNS), and how they interact to provide network communications. Knowledge
6210 Knowledge of cloud service models and possible limitations for an incident response. Knowledge