Demystifying Information Security Team
Note: All views in this article are my personal and team structure differs upon organization size, infosec team size, and business priorities.
The Broad Scope of Information Security:
Many newcomers to the field of Information Security start out by focusing on offensive security and bug bounty. These are certainly important aspects of Information Security, but they only scratch the surface of what this field encompasses.
In reality, Information Security is a broad and complex discipline that involves protecting all aspects of an organization’s digital assets, from its computers, devices, and networks along with sensitive data in these. This includes everything from preventing data breaches to ensuring the reliability of critical systems.
The Importance of Information Security
Information security, also known as Infosec, is essential for any organization that relies on digital technology. In today’s interconnected world, a data breach can have devastating consequences for a company’s reputation, finances, and even its ability to operate.
That’s why it’s so important for organizations to have a strong Information Security team in place. This team should be responsible for developing and implementing security policies, conducting vulnerability assessments, and responding to security incidents.
The Structure of an Information Security Team
The structure of a Infosec team will vary depending on the size and complexity of the organization. However, most teams will follow a hierarchical structure, with different teams responsible for different aspects of security.
For example, there might be a team responsible for network security, a team responsible for application security, and a team responsible for data security. There might also be a team dedicated to incident response.
The Importance of Understanding the Team Structure
Even if you’re not planning to work on a Infosec team, it’s still important to understand the different roles and responsibilities involved. This will give you a better appreciation for the challenges that these teams face and the importance of their work.
Chief Information Security Officer — CISO:
The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is the top executive responsible for setting the strategic direction of Information Security efforts within an organization. The CISO is responsible for overall security governance, risk management, policy creation, security monitoring, cyber incident response, and ensuring that the organization complies with relevant laws and regulations.
The CISO is the final decision-maker for any information security-related call in the business and the highest authority in the information security team. The CISO typically reports directly to the CEO or another C-level executive in the leadership team, such as the CIO, CRO, or another CISO. However, smaller companies may have a hybrid role of CISO + CIO, where the same person leads both the information security and information sides of the business.
As per my experience, CISO’s proximity to the CEO and the board is a strong indicator of the level of influence and importance that information security has in an organization. If the CISO reports directly to the CEO, information security is likely to be a top priority for the organization.
On the other hand, if the CISO reports to a lower-level executive, such as the CIO, information security is likely to be seen as less important. The CISO will have less influence on strategic decisions and may have to fight to get the resources they need to protect the organization. In the most extreme cases, the CISO may not even report to the executive team. In this situation, information security is likely to be an afterthought and the organization will be at a significant risk of a data breach or other security incident.
Ultimately, the CISO’s position in the organization is a reflection of the importance that the organization places on information security. If the CEO and the board are committed to protecting the organization’s data, they will ensure that the CISO has the authority and resources they need to do their job effectively.
Security Operations Center (SOC):
The SOC team is responsible for the day-to-day monitoring, detection, and response to security incidents. They work in shifts to ensure 24/7 coverage and act as the first line of defense against cyber threats by triaging and responding to security alerts and notifications.
The Security Operations Center (SOC) team uses a tool called SIEM (Security Event and Information Management) to collect logs and alert feeds from other security tools and applications used in the organization. These logs are then used to create detectors, which are rules that define what constitutes a potential security threat. When a detector’s conditions are met, it generates an alert that is sent to the SOC team.
The SOC team then analyzes the alerts to determine if they are legitimate security threats or false positives. If an alert is determined to be a legitimate threat, the SOC team takes the necessary actions to contain and remediate the threat. This may involve isolating the affected system, blocking the malicious traffic, or notifying the appropriate personnel.
The SOC team plays a critical role in protecting an organization’s resources and digital assets. By monitoring and analyzing security events, the SOC team can identify and respond to security threats quickly and effectively. This helps to protect the organization from data breaches, financial losses, and reputational damage.
A SOC team usually comprises of Security Analysts and Incident Responders, and there are other roles that are usually present in larger SOC teams, which we will talk about later in the second part of the series.
Security Administrators:
The Security Administrator team is responsible for maintaining and improving the security posture of an organization’s systems and networks. This team is typically composed of IT professionals who specialize in information security and have expertise in areas such as Firewalls, Endpoint Detection and Response, Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems, Data Encryption, Access Control, Identity Management, and Incident Response (yes, Incident Response, you read it right).
The security administrator team oversees the management of security technologies and tools, and they closely work with IT and technology stakeholders within and sometimes outside the organization.
Further segregation includes Network Security, Endpoint Security, Identity Security, and Cloud Security team, which I will cover in detail in the third part of the series.
Security Architect and Engineering Team
This team’s main job is to create, set up, and keep up to date with the latest security technologies and controls. They work closely with IT and development teams to make sure that security is a part of the organization’s systems and processes.
They take on the task of deploying new security technologies, evaluating them, and engineering security-related solutions for the organization.
We will talk more about this team in the fourth part of the series.
Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC):
This team is closest to business and other stakeholders in the organization. GRC Team plays a critical role in an organization’s information security program by managing and mitigating potential risks, ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations, and establishing governance structures to guide decision-making. The GRC team’s primary functions include creating policies, procedures, and guidelines; monitoring and managing risks; and overseeing compliance while ensuring that Information Security as a team is aligned to support and protect the organization and business.
This team is split further into sub-teams as indicated by name of Governance, Risk, and Compliance. Each group has its own set of tasks and responsibilities. One important team within the Risk Sub-Team of GRC is the vulnerability management team. This team plays a crucial role in the overall information security program and deserves special mention in this part itself. In the fifth and final part of this series, I will provide more comprehensive information about the Governance, Risk, and Compliance teams.
That's all for the first part of the series.
Continue to Second part — Security Operations Center
Video Series Link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYvPOAFzOkSsGlrW74f-2351WW9Sh7S3u