SOC Interview Questions

Tips for Preparing

• Review basic cybersecurity concepts, such as the CIA triad, common attack types, and security tools.
• Familiarize yourself with SIEM tools (e.g., Splunk, QRadar, ArcSight) and their functionalities.
• Practice explaining technical concepts in simple terms.
• Be prepared to discuss your problem-solving approach and ability to work under pressure.

Good luck with your SOC Level 1 interview! Let me know if you need further clarification or additional resources.

 Technical Knowledge Questions

1. What is a Security Operations Center (SOC), and what is its primary function?
2. Explain the difference between IDS and IPS.
3. What is the CIA triad in cybersecurity?
4. What are the common types of cyber threats you might encounter in a SOC?
5. What is a SIEM tool, and how does it help in a SOC environment?
6. Can you explain the difference between a vulnerability, an exploit, and a threat?
7. What is the difference between a false positive and a false negative?
8. What is a firewall, and how does it work?
9. What is the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption?
10. What is a DDoS attack, and how can it be mitigated?
11. What is a zero-day vulnerability, and how can it be mitigated?
12. Explain the concept of defense in depth.
13. What is the difference between TCP and UDP?
14. What is a MAC address, and how is it different from an IP address?
15. What is Telnet?

Incident Response Questions

1. How would you handle a phishing email reported by an employee?
2. What would you do if you detected unusual network traffic from an internal IP?
3. How do you prioritize incidents in a SOC environment?
4. What is the difference between an incident and an event?
5. How would you investigate a potential malware infection on a workstation?
6. What is the role of log analysis in incident response?
7. How would you respond to a ransomware alert?
8. What is the importance of containment in incident response?
9. How do you ensure evidence preservation during an investigation?
10. What are the key steps in the incident response process?

Networking and System Basics

1. What is the difference between TCP and UDP?
2.  What is a subnet mask, and how does it work?
3.  Explain the purpose of DNS and how it works.
4.  What is a MAC address, and how is it different from an IP address?
5.  What is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS?
6. What is a VPN, and how does it enhance security?
7.  What is port scanning, and why is it used?
8.  What is the difference between a router and a switch?
9.  What is ARP, and how does it work?
10. What is the purpose of NAT (Network Address Translation)?

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Security Tools and Technologies

1. Have you worked with any SIEM tools? If so, which ones?
2. What is the role of endpoint detection and response (EDR) in a SOC?
3. What is the difference between signature-based and behavior-based detection?
4. How do you use threat intelligence in a SOC?
5. What is the purpose of a honeypot in cybersecurity?
6. What is the difference between antivirus and anti-malware?
7. How do you stay updated on the latest cybersecurity threats?
8. What is the role of patch management in a SOC?
9. What is the difference between active and passive vulnerability scanning?
10. What is the importance of regular backups in cybersecurity?

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Behavioral and Situational Questions

1. How do you handle high-pressure situations, such as a major security breach?
2. Describe a time when you had to work as part of a team to solve a problem.
3. How do you prioritize tasks when multiple incidents occur simultaneously?
4. What would you do if you didn’t know how to handle a specific security incident?
5. How do you ensure attention to detail in your work?
6. Describe a situation where you had to explain a technical issue to a non-technical person.
7. How do you stay motivated during repetitive tasks, such as monitoring alerts?
8. What steps do you take to ensure continuous learning in cybersecurity?
9. How do you handle false positives in a SOC environment?
10. What would you do if you noticed a colleague violating security policies?

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General Cybersecurity Concepts

1. What is multi-factor authentication (MFA), and why is it important?
2.  What is the principle of least privilege, and how does it enhance security?
3.  What is a zero-day vulnerability?
4.  What is social engineering, and how can it be prevented?
5. What is the difference between black-box, white-box, and gray-box testing?
6.  What is a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack, and how can it be prevented?
7. What is the difference between hashing and encryption?
8.  What is a brute-force attack, and how can it be mitigated?
9.  What is the importance of a disaster recovery plan (DRP) in cybersecurity?
10.   What is the role of compliance (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) in a SOC?

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Practical and Scenario-Based Questions

1. You notice a sudden spike in outbound traffic from a specific device. What steps would you take?
2. An employee reports that their account has been compromised. What do you do?
3. How would you investigate a suspicious login attempt from an unfamiliar location?
4. A critical server is unresponsive. How would you determine if it’s a security issue?
5. You receive an alert for a potential SQL injection attempt. How would you verify and respond?
6. How would you handle a situation where a critical vulnerability is discovered in a widely used software?
7. What steps would you take to investigate a potential insider threat?
8. How would you respond to a situation where a phishing campaign is targeting your organization?
9. You discover a misconfigured firewall rule. What steps would you take to address it?
10. How would you handle a situation where a malware infection spreads across the network?

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