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Defensive Cybersecurity (OPM 511)

Responsible for analyzing data collected from various cybersecurity defense tools to mitigate risks.

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Defensive Cybersecurity Analysts monitor network traffic, utilize intrusion detection tools, and respond to cyber threats. They develop signatures, reconstruct attack scenarios, and implement targeted mitigation strategies.

What You'll Do

Network Intrusion Detection

Monitor network traffic, analyze anomalies, and detect intrusions to protect critical infrastructure from cybersecurity threats.

Vulnerability Risk Reduction

Identify vulnerabilities, recommend remediation strategies, and assess security controls to reduce organizational cybersecurity risks.

Incident Response Analysis

Investigate cyber incidents, isolate malware, and reconstruct attacks to effectively respond and prevent future security breaches.

Similar Roles

Threat Analysis (OPM 141)

NICE: Protection and Defense

Responsible for collecting, processing, analyzing, and disseminating cybersecurity threat assessments. Develops cybersecurity indicators to maintain awareness of the status of the highly dynamic operating environment.

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Insider Threat Analysis

NICE: Protection and Defense

Responsible for identifying and assessing the capabilities and activities of cybersecurity insider threats; produces findings to help initialize and support law enforcement and counterintelligence activities and investigations.

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Digital Forensics (OPM 212)

NICE: Protection and Defense

Responsible for analyzing digital evidence from computer security incidents to derive useful information in support of system and network vulnerability mitigation.

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Cyber Resiliency

NICE: Protection and Defense

This Competency Area describes a learner’s capability related to architecting, designing, developing, implementing, and maintaining the trustworthiness of systems that use or are enabled by cyber resources in order to anticipate, withstand, recover from, and adapt to adverse conditions, stresses, attacks, or compromises.

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Vulnerability Analysis (OPM 541)

NICE: Protection and Defense

Responsible for assessing systems and networks to identify deviations from acceptable configurations, enclave policy, or local policy. Measure effectiveness of defense-in-depth architecture against known vulnerabilities.

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Infrastructure Support (OPM 521)

NICE: Protection and Defense

Responsible for testing, implementing, deploying, maintaining, and administering infrastructure hardware and software for cybersecurity.

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Incident Response (OPM 531)

NICE: Protection and Defense

Responsible for investigating, analyzing, and responding to network cybersecurity incidents.

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Need more guidance about cyber roles?

There are numerous different roles in cybersecurity and where you fit depends on your interest level. SANS New to Cyber offers courses, certifications, and free resources for anyone interested in getting started in cybersecurity.

Explore New to Cyber