Cyber Incident Responder
Incident responders identify and analyse signs of security breaches, suspicious network traffic, unauthorised access, or malware activity. Learn more about the skills and training you need to become an Cyber Incident Responder.
Role profile
What does a cyber incident responder do?
The role of a cyber incident responder is to monitor and analyse logs for potential threats, reverse engineer malware to understand its behaviour and impact, and understand how to remove it from systems.
They use digital forensic tools to collect, preserve, analyse evidence from compromised systems and automate repetitive tasks, such as creating custom detection and response tools or workflows to quickly respond to incidents.
What are the key skills a cyber incident responder needs?
A cyber incident responder needs to possess a variety of soft and technical skills to complete their role successfully. They must be strong communicators and problem solvers, able to clear explain threats and solutions, as well as holding a creative and curious mindset.
Here are some of the core areas of cyber security and infrastructure that they should know about:
- Incident Detection and Analysis
- Network Security
- Malware Analysis
- Forensic Skills
- Incident Response Tools
- Threat Intelligence
- Operating Systems and Platforms
- Scripting and Automation
- Vulnerability Management
- Cloud Security
- AI Security
Why do organisations need cyber incident responders?
Incident responders are critical to businesses as they swiftly detect, mitigate, and recover from cybersecurity threats, minimizing damage and downtime. They handle various attacks, including malware, network breaches, and insider threats, applying best practices and industry standards.
With expertise in vulnerability management, forensic analysis, and incident response automation, they ensure quick, effective responses. Their ability to manage risk, comply with regulations, and recover from incidents keeps businesses secure and operational in the face of evolving cyber threats.
How does QA support cyber incident responder training?
QA offer flexible training methods that support organisations in the hiring and training of cyber security professionals, including cyber incident responders.
Our catalogue includes several certifications that can help cyber professionals progress their career and increase their knowledge of cyber defense and response.
Our apprenticeship programmes include the Cyber Defender and Responder Level 4, a programme that teaches the essential skills needed to embark on a career as an incident responder. Organisation can utilise this programme to fill the skills gaps in their teams and upskill existing members of staff.
All of our training is delivered by cyber experts, with real-world experience and accredited certification training.
Cyber incident responder insights
Average salary
Job satisfaction for incident responders
job vacancies
How to become a cyber incident responder
To become a cyber incident responder, individuals need a range of technical and non-technical skills to effectively detect, analyse, and respond to cybersecurity incidents.
Explore some of the best certifications that incident responders can take to progress their career and learn new capabilities.
OffSec SEC-100 CyberCore - Security Essentials
OffSec’s CyberCore – Security Essentials (SEC-100) equips learners with the essential knowledge and hands-on skills needed to launch a successful career in cybersecurity.
With SEC-100: CyberCore – Security Essentials, you’ll unlock opportunities in penetration testing, security analysis, incident response, and more.
Certified Cybercrime Investigator
Over the five day delivery of this National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) assured course, you will learn how to detect an attack, how to handle it, how to trace and acquire the evidence, investigate, analyse and re-construct the incident.
Certified Incident Handler
The latest revision of EC-Council’s Certified Incident Handler (E|CIH) v3 certified program has been designed and developed in collaboration with cybersecurity and incident handling/response practitioners across the globe.
IR-200 (OSIR) Incident Responder
OffSec’s Incident Response (IR-200) course provides cybersecurity professionals with practical training to prepare for, identify, and handle security incidents effectively.
Cyber Blue Team Pathway
Cyber Blue team pathway is perfect for security enthusiasts or professionals that want to develop their practical defensive cyber skills. Roles that we believe would benefit from this course include:
Insights from the experts
"The future of incident responders will be driven by the growing use of automation, AI, and machine learning, significantly speeding up the process of detecting, analysing, and responding to cyber threats. They will increasingly rely on AI, this shift will not only improve response times but also allow responders to focus on more strategic tasks, ensuring businesses are better prepared to face evolving security challenges."
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