It's no news that cybercrime is increasing. But without the contributions of cybersecurity professionals like incident responders, the situation would be worse.

An incident responder is an asset to both individuals and organizations. Due to the immense value they offer, they are in high demand with good financial remunerations.

Perhaps you'll like to become an incident responder. If so, here's all you need to know.

Who Is an Incident Responder?

In cybersecurity, an incident refers to a threat or attack that compromises a system. In light of this, an incident responder is an expert who investigates, analyzes and responds to any action or event that’s harmful to a network. They are the equivalent of a 911 officer in cybersecurity.

An incident responder doesn’t work alone. They work with a team of security personnel. However, they are the leader of the team and have the authority to make decisions during an incident.

What Are the Responsibilities of an Incident Responder?

Man Working on a Computer at Home

An incident responder's job isn’t just reactive as the name implies, but also proactive. In reactive security, you already have a crisis to manage with a series of events that are out of your control. Proactive security, on the other, enables you to prevent a crisis beforehand. A good incident responder tries to prevent a crisis in the first place.

Here are some of the responsibilities of an incident responder.

  • Define parameters of normal behaviors to detect anomalies within a network.
  • Create systems to spotlight threats and vulnerabilities in a system.
  • Conduct penetration testing on a system to identify loopholes that attackers can exploit.
  • Liaise with various team members to get reports on the security dispositions of the areas they cover.
  • Collaborate with teams to develop effective incident response plans.
  • Establish a communication chain between team members in disseminating incident-related information.
  • Ensure that the incident response procedures comply with regulatory standards.
  • Deploy mitigation strategies to recover compromised data and restore an organization’s reputation following an attack.
  • Educate and train cybersecurity teams on the best practices to prevent attacks.
  • Ensure that all security applications and tools in a system are updated and working effectively.

What Skills Does an Incident Responder Need?

If you want to secure a job in cybersecurity as an incident responder, there are two major skill sets you need: soft skills and hard skills.

Soft Skills

Soft skills are non-technical attributes that define your character and disposition at work. The soft skills of an incident responder include the following.

Comportment

An incident responder’s job revolves around managing cyber crises and other difficult situations. Not only do you need to resolve these challenging situations, you also need to do that on time. This means that you’ll always be under pressure. You must be able to comport yourself and deliver good results regardless of any pressure, otherwise, you won’t be able to function.

Critical Thinking

Even when you work with standard cybersecurity frameworks to guide your operations, you’ll encounter unique situations that these systems don’t address in detail. So, it’s up to you to find a way out. You must think critically about the most efficient strategies to resolve them.

Collaboration

An incident responder might be the leader and face of the operation, but they don’t do all the work by themselves. Your ability to communicate and interact with other team members in a healthy manner is a determining factor in your success. If you have issues collaborating with others, you won't have the support you need to excel.

Attention to Detail

An incident responder is responsible for securing sensitive data in a network. You must have an eye for details. Letting a single piece of important information slide could fuel a brewing attack. To avoid that, you must pay close attention to not only what you consider relevant pieces of information but the irrelevant ones as well.

Hard Skills

Woman Staring at a Laptop

Hard skills refer to the technical and quantifiable knowledge you use to execute tasks. The hard skills of an incident responder include:

Digital Forensics

A major part of an incident responder's job will test their knowledge and application of digital forensics—an area of forensics that focuses on collecting and analyzing data from cybercrime. You must be able to preserve the data you collect, draw meaningful conclusions from analyzing it and document it for easy presentation.

Compliance and Regulation Knowledge

The operations of an incident responder must be within the confines of the law, otherwise, they will face legal sanctions. You must acquaint yourself with data protection laws and regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act (HIPAA), Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), Gramm Leach Bliley Act (GLBA), etc. so you don’t misuse any data in performing your duties.

IT Competence

In addition to mastering digital forensics, you also need to have a vast knowledge of information technology in general. This is essential because you’ll be working with various technologies and systems. While you may need to learn how to use new and specialized systems, having standard computing knowledge will make it easier for you to get a hang of them easily.

How Much Does an Incident Responder Earn?

The salary of an incident responder differs in various locations. According to ZipRecruiter, the average annual salary of an incident responder in the United States is $105,252.

What Educational Credentials Do You Need?

Man Working on a Computer

Although having a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity will give you the advantage to secure a job as an incident responder, it’s not mandatory. You can also use a technical degree in computer science or a related course. A master's degree in a specialized field of cybersecurity further enhances your employability.

An academic degree isn't enough due to the practical nature of the job. You need to augment your academic degree with specialized cybersecurity certifications including the following.

  • CERT-Certified Computer Security Incident Handler (CERT-CSIH)
  • GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA)
  • Certified Computer Forensics Examiner (CCFE)
  • Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
  • Certified Reverse Engineering Analyst (CREA)
  • GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH)
  • Certified Penetration Tester (CPT)
  • Certified Computer Examiner (CCE)

In addition to your qualifications, most organizations require you to have experience on the job to be eligible for employment. The average minimum experience is three years. If you are fresh out of school, you may need to do internships to gain experience.

Make An Impact on Society as an Incident Responder

If you have an interest in both digital technology and security, there's a high chance you'll make a good incident responder. You'll become a cyber equivalent of a good cop who makes society a safer place by fighting crime.

Society needs more incident responders to curb the increasing cybercrime. Your service will be much more impactful than you think.