Webinar on "Cyber Security Operations Center (SOC)"

On 11h July 2020, Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad organized a Webinar on "Cyber Security Operations Center (SOC)" to discuss the contemporary trends of Cyber Security
Maj Gen Syed Khalid Amir Jaffery (Retd), President CGSS commenced the webinar and stated that keeping in view the growing threat of cyber attacks on webinars and official websites it is important to discuss measures against them. Enacting a framework to deal with the cyber security attacks is also of vital importance.
Ms. Sehrish Mujtaba, Cyber SOC Specialist & Member FPCCI Steering Committee, Cyber Security & Crimes, Karachi presented a detailed presentation about the overall structure of SOC and its mechanism. She highlighted the different steps involved and their specific functions, as well as the challenges in implementing SOC in organizations. Furthermore, she also discussed the importance of Embedded Intelligence and Security Incident Management. And how it benefits us.
Mr. Tariq Malik, Former Chief Tech Officer, GHQ, Rawalpindi stressed on the importance of classifying & protecting data online as we have entered the era of Fifth Generation Warfare. Furthermore, it is important to construct a risk strategy and risk analysis on organization and national level to pre-plan a comprehensive strategy to enhance the SOC in organizations. These cyber Attacks are now part of the security paradigm globally and need a proper policy framework.
Mr. Ahmad Wajid, Vice President IT & Cyber Security Group Internal Audit & Investigation (Asia & Europe Region), Islamabad shared his expertise and enlightened the audience regarding opportunities for youth in the field of SOC. He stated that it is a budding field for the young generation and requires the skill to communicate your technological knowledge to the audience. Furthermore, he commented that SOC is not an easy job as it requires 24/7 monitoring but passionate individuals can excel in it.
Ms. Nisreen Al Khitab, IPP of ISACA, Lebanon Chapter, Sheleadstech Ambassador highlighted the growing threats of cyber security because of the pandemic outbreak. She stated that since the activities have largely shifted from offline to online database of small organizations and business have been severely compromised. She advised the organizations to invest more in the latest SOC technology to deal with the complexities of these attacks.
Mr. Kumail Morawala, Chief Platform Officer, Growth Arbor & Deputy Convener FPCCI Steering Committee of Cyber Security & Crimes stated that organizations should focus on standardized responses as it is of major importance in the domain of SOC. He further commented that usually organizations do nor prioritize the need of enhancing their SOC capability but it is of utmost importance. The dealing of SOC requires futuristic thinking, standardization, and a proper mechanism for its adaptability to create a safe culture of online security.
Mr. Zakir Khan. Senior Splunk Consultant (KSA), explained the mechanism of the Splunk software including its various security operations, applications, data sources and Adaptive Operations Framework. He also shared the contemporary security operations workflow, a process that doesn’t scale. Furthermore, he shared the shifting focus and role of SOC from the legacy to its current requirements that include hard and soft skills.
Mr. Irfan Rehman, Head of Cyber Security Operations for a Cloud & Email Service Provider Company, stressed on the importance of enhancing the human resource and process of cyber security with the improvement of technology. He stated that technology alone cannot solve the contemporary issues of cyber security. Moreover, SEAM is not only technological process but also requires human expertise to shift from the traditional to the next generation of SOC software.
Mr. Ashar Faisel Khan, CEO Commtel, Lahore discussed that there is a need of mature market and human resource for system integration and Security providing. Organizations lack resources for a working mechanism of SEAM and other related cyber security operations. He further commented on the APT threats & the importance of shifting to the advanced and next generation of SOC. Behavior based technology is needed for need assessment of organizations on a national level.
The Webinar was attended by 80 participants and was moderated by Ms. Minahil Shawal Afridi, Research Assistant, Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad