An Incident Responder, sometimes also referred to as an Intrusion Analyst or CSIRT Engineer, is basically a cyber first-responder. You role will involve providing a rapid initial response to any IT Security threats, incidents or cyber attacks on your organisation.
The job of Incident Responder will involve the use of a suite of forensic tools which will enable you to quickly investigate any issues as they develop.
Once the cause of the problem has been identified, you will need to restrict any damage, provide immediate workarounds and if possible provide a solution or fix, so that any intrusion or threat to your organisation is negated rapidly.
RESPONSIBILITIES AS AN INCIDENT RESPONDER
Here are some of the job duties of an incident responder:
- Recognize any errors or possible vulnerabilities in the network or system
- Develop a system of procedures on how to handle an emergency
- Effectively oversee systems and applications for any suspicious activity
- Collaborate with other cyber security team members
- Run penetration tests, risk analysis and security audits
- Develop a system for the communication trail that needs to take place during an emergency.
- Provide well-composed incident reports to proper management team members
CAREER PATHS AS AN INCIDENT RESPONDER
What skills do I need?
- Up to date knowledge of IT Security hardware, software and solutions
- C, C++, C#, ASM, PERL, Java, PHP or other scripting/programming skills may be required
- Knowledge of Forensic and eDiscovery tools such as Relativity, Clearwell, NUIX, EnCase, Helix, FTK etc.
- Practical experience using computer operating systems such as MS Windows, UNIX and Linux
- A problem-solving mind-set
- Working as part of a team, you need to be a good team player
- The ability to react quickly and efficiently under pressure
- Good communication skills as you will be reporting regularly to management and other stakeholders
What qualifications do I need?
- Some employees will desire a Bachelors degree in a related field such as Computer Science, IT or a Cyber-Security related field, but this is not a necessity.
- Other employers will accept those that have relevant training and experience gained within a similar role.
Incident Responder Salary
The position of IT Incident Responder is an important role with many responsibilities.
Salaries will of course vary depending on your own experience, your qualifications, the organisation and sector plus whether you are employed on a full-time, short-term Contractor or Consultant basis.
According to Simply Hired* the average Salary expectations for the role of Incident Manager (the closest match available) is £83,000 or £63,846.
————————————————————————————————————————————————–
