Introduction to the Blue Team

As cyberattacks ramp up across world, it is an absolute necessity for every organization to have a defence capability. However, the journey of setting up such expertise and attaining the right level of maturity requires the right combination of technology, processes, and people. This roadmap may appear daunting and overwhelming to many who are just getting started. In this article, we aim to help lead and aid organizations and professionals on a journey to build defence capability. This article is intended to ensure that all aspects of a blue team defence program are understood and that there are no blind spots. Blue team cybersecurity experts identify various security loopholes also known as vulnerabilities, in the organization's infrastructure and applications. These efforts contribute to the patching and implementation of various security procedures and controls. Blue teamers typically have a talent for thinking outside the box and responding quickly to various types of security events and incidents. They oversee protecting businesses from cyber risks and threats. How does implementing the blue teaming approach benefit organisations? It is critical to understand that an organisation can expect to gain from establishing a blue team, as well as how to take step-by-step action to ensure success

• Risk assessment
• Monitoring and surveillance
• Security controls
• Reporting and recommendation to management

There are many other advantages of setting up a blue team; here are only a few which are listed above. So, who are the members of a blue team? A blue team is made up of many people with diverse skill sets. The composition of a team varies according to the needs of an organisation. Here, are some of the typical roles that exist within this team.

Analysts
In the company's Security Operations Center, an entry-level cybersecurity position known as SOC analyst exists (SOC). A triaging analyst is another term for a cybersecurity analyst. The SOC analyst investigates evidence and responds to specific severity incident alerts. This is a reactive role. In SOC, organisations typically have Level 1 (L1), Level 2 (L2), and Level 3 (L3) roles. L1 is the most junior analyst role in a SOC, while L3 is the most senior analyst role. In most cases, increasing levels of responsibility and experience are denoted by rising numbered levels. SOC examines IT network traffic for anomalous or suspicious behaviour. Certain suspicious activities may indicate the presence of malicious entities or malicious programmes in the network, such as Trojans and ransomware.

Incident responder
An incident response analyst is another term for an IR. This position determines whether a reported alarm is the result of an organisational attack or a persistent threat to a company's network. They ensure that it is contained as soon as possible and that the organisation can respond and recover as planned. IRs typically investigate the scope of a cyberattack. IRs develop a remediation strategy based on the scope of the cybersecurity problem. This entails looking into the specifics of the incident. This includes the types of malicious activities performed by the malware as well as the business assets targeted by the malware. The IRs then recommend the best course of action. They carry out remediation with the appropriate teams, such as opening IT tickets to re-image compromised systems.

Threat Hunter
This job title is also known as threat analyst or threat researcher. The threat hunter's job is to be proactive. They conduct regular threat and risk research to stay current on the latest threats. They are also interested in the evolution and anatomy of threats. Threat hunters frequently create coding rules that alert the company's SIEM solution to specific cyber threats. Threat hunters are skilled at configuring and monitoring multiple threat intelligence platforms (such as IBM X-Force, Alienvalult OTX, VirusTotal, and others) to conduct proactive research into the life cycle of threats. Based on various parameters such as the industries targeted, vulnerabilities exploited, and attack TTPs, they determine whether new and emerging threats pose the greatest risk to their company. Threat hunters frequently use system configuration.

Security Consultant
Security consultants are frequently hired on a contract basis and perform tasks as needed throughout the project's life cycle. They may also be hired from outside the organisation to provide a dependable source of knowledge or expertise in a specific tool or security area. They are frequently regarded as experts in their field. Subject Matter Experts is another term that is frequently used to describe security consultants (SMEs). A few examples of specialised roles include security strategy consultant and security operations consultant.

Security Administrator
A security administrator is not the same as a SOC analyst. However, it has been observed that organisations frequently regard security administrators as Level 4 (L4) SOC analysts, whose job it is to download, install, configure, deploy, and launch various security tools in the SOC. They are also in charge of updating those tools when vendor updates arrive. This job is like that of a systems administrator, but it deals with all the security tools in the SOC, such as SIEM, SOAR, AV-NGAV, EDR-XDR, DLP, honeypots, cloud governance, WAF, firewall, load balancers, IAM and AD, brand abuse and defamation monitoring solutions, and more. The job also entails applying patches or fixes released by the respective tool vendors and configuring security tools to ensure peak performance. They frequently collaborate with threat hunters and incident response teams to develop security scripts and programmes that automate some of the redundant security tasks. They are not, however, tasked with investigating security events and incidents flagged by security tools.

Identity and Access Management (IAM) administrator
This position supports several departments within a company with Identity and Access Management (IAM). An IAM administrator's key responsibilities include managing application/system authority and privileges, Single Sign-On (SSO), application reporting, and collaborating with developers to integrate identity and access management policies for new applications and software. These experts specialise in the use of various IAM tools as well as networking administration.

Compliance analyst
This position supports several departments within a company with Identity and Access Management (IAM). An IAM administrator's key responsibilities include managing application/system authority and privileges, Single Sign-On (SSO), application reporting, and collaborating with developers to integrate identity and access management policies for new applications and software. These experts specialise in the use of various IAM tools as well as networking administration. There will be more roles to consider, depending on the type or complexity of an organization. However, in this section, we covered some of the skills that are typical in any organization. Next, we will briefly touch upon the red team and the purple team. These two teams may not be part of a blue team, but it is important to understand what these teams do as well. Moreover, we will also understand the role of a cyber threat intelligence team. This skill set typically sits within the blue team, but it is also common to have this team segregated from the blue team. Blue team members must possess the following abilities. Members work to secure the business network infrastructure and strengthen its cybersecurity posture. The methodologies and strategies they employ to defend the network and systems from cyberattacks are inextricably linked. Management must gain a better understanding of the blue teamers' goals and functions.e experts specialise in the use of various IAM tools as well as networking administration.

1. Eager to learn and detail-oriented
2. In-depth knowledge of networks and systems
3. Outside-the-box and innovative thinking
4. Ability to cross conventional barriers to perform tasks
5. Academics, qualifications, and certifications

Learn more about the defensive cybersecurity measures while thinking from an attacker's perspective. With this book , you'll be able to test and assess the effectiveness of your organization’s cybersecurity posture. No matter the medium your organization has chosen- cloud, on-premises, or hybrid, this book will provide an in-depth understanding of how cyber attackers can penetrate your systems and gain access to sensitive information.

Beginning with a brief overview of the importance of a blue team, you’ll learn important techniques and best practices a cybersecurity operator or a blue team practitioner should be aware of. By understanding tools, processes, and operations, you’ll be equipped with evolving solutions and strategies to overcome cybersecurity challenges and successfully manage cyber threats to avoid adversaries. Cybersecurity Blue Team Strategies gives you enough exposure to blue team operations which will enable you to successfully set up a blue team in your organization. This book is recommended for cybersecurity professionals involved in defending an organization’s systems and assets against attacks. Penetration testers, cybersecurity analysts, security leaders, security strategists, and blue team members will find this book helpful. Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) looking at securing their organizations from adversaries will also benefit from this book. To get the most out of this book, click here.

Biography

Kunal Sehgal (Author)

Kunal Sehgal has been a cyber-evangelist for over 15 years and is an untiring advocate of Cyber Threat Intelligence sharing. He encourages cyber-defenders to work together by maintaining a strong level of camaraderie across public and private sector organizations. He has worked on setting up two Information Sharing & Analysis Centres to combat cybercrime, and regularly shares credible intelligence with law enforcement agencies around the world. Kunal has also worked for various organizations, in leadership roles, to drive security improvement initiatives and to build cybersecurity services, especially within the APAC region. He specializes in helping businesses improve their security posture and resilience while leveraging the power of the cloud. Kunal resides in Singapore, and invests his non-working hours in researching, blogging, and presenting at cyber-events across Asia. He has 17 certifications/degrees in various IT- and information security related topics.

Nikolaos Thymianis (Author)

Nikolas has studied cultural informatics at the University of the Aegean in Greece, during which he received a scholarship to go to the UK and continue his education to gain an MSc in information security, at the University of Brighton. Nick's work experience led him to associate with people in the healthcare industry, while doing cybersecurity assurance and maturity assessments for organizations in the NHS, helping to set the standards and guidelines for hospitals in the UK. Nikolaos was the CISO of care socius from 2018 until 2022. Nick is now active in big pharma, working in risk management/exception management. He always encourages everyone he meets to be security aware, because information security is a problem everyone faces. He is an advisor at the University of Piraeus and has also become a recognized cybersecurity speaker