Tier 2 Cyber Incident Response Analyst

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Security Operations Center (SOC) is a U.S. Government program responsible to prevent, identify, contain and eradicate cyber threats to CBP networks through monitoring, intrusion detection and protective security services to CBP information systems including local area networks/wide area networks (LAN/WAN), commercial Internet connection, public facing websites, wireless, mobile/cellular, cloud, security devices, servers and workstations.  The CBP SOC is responsible for the overall security of CBP Enterprise-wide information systems, and collects, investigates, and reports any suspected and confirmed security violations.

Leidos is seeking an experienced Tier 2 Cyber Incident Response Analyst to join our team. As a member of this highly visible Cyber Incident Response Team (CIRT) for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), you will be responsible for cyber incident analysis, containment, remediation and root cause analysis in support of the protection of the customers’ systems, networks, and assets.  

Primary Responsibilities:

• Shift schedule: 7am-7pm, Sunday-Tuesday, every other Wednesday.

• Utilize state-of-the-art technologies such as Endpoint Detection & Response tools, log analysis (firewall, proxy, IDS, Windows & Linux) and network forensics (full packet capture solution) to investigative activity to examine endpoint and network-based data.

• Conduct in-depth analysis on hosts and networks, forensic analysis, log analysis, and triage in support of incident response.

• Recognize attacker and APT activity, tactics, and procedures as indicators of compromise (IOCs) that can be used to improve monitoring, analysis, and incident response processes.

• Demonstrate the ability to apply cyber incident response knowledge operationally by leveraging TTPs to conduct proactive threat hunting, identify abnormal behaviors, correlate adversary activity to MITRE ATT&CK techniques, and detect early indicators of compromise across DHS environments.

• Develop and build security content, scripts, tools, or methods to enhance the incident investigation processes.

• Lead incident response activities and mentor junior SOC staff.

• Work with key stakeholders to implement remediation plans in response to incidents.

• Ability to effectively identify root cause and communicate findings to stakeholders (i.e., technical staff, and leadership) and provide timely updates for incidents with emphasis on attention to detail.

• Flexible and adaptable self-starter with strong relationship-building skills

• Ability to stay up to date with the latest open-source intelligence, to include but limited to cyber threats, security trends, tools and capabilities.

• Possess strong problem-solving abilities with an analytic and qualitative eye for reasoning.

• Ability to independently prioritize and complete multiple tasks proficiently.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in a science or engineering field, IT, or Cybersecurity related field.

• A minimum of 4 years of experience in the areas of cyber incident response, remediation, malware analysis, or computer forensics.

• Advanced knowledge of the Incident Response Lifecycle and applicability to various types of incidents and situations.

• Effective communication skills with emphasis on attention to detail, ability to accurately capture and document technical remediation details, and ability to brief stakeholders on incident statuses.

• Experience creating new processes, playbooks, and SOPs for new tools and workflows. Prior relevant experience should be in the areas of incident detection and response, malware analysis, or computer forensics.

• Ability to script in one more of the following computer languages Python, Bash, Visual Basic or PowerShell.

• Experience running cyber incident investigations with emphasis on attention to detail, adept communication skills, and adherence to defined escalation paths.

Clearance: Top Secret Clearance with SCI Eligibility 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in Federal Government, DOD or Law Enforcement in CND, CIRT or SOC role

• Knowledge of the Cyber Kill Chain and the MITRE ATT&CK framework

• Knowledge of Structured Analytic Techniques

Required certifications:

The candidate should have at minimum ONE of the following certifications:

• CompTIA Pentest+

• CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+)

• GPEN – Penetration Tester

• GWAPT – Web Application Penetration Tester

• GSNA – System and Network Auditor

• GISF – Security Fundamentals

• GCIH – Certified Incident Handler

• GCFA – Certified Forensic Analyst

• GXPN – Exploit Researcher and Advanced Penetration Tester

• GWEB – Web Application Defender

• GNFA – Network Forensic Analyst

• GMON – Continuous Monitoring Certification

• GCTI – Cyber Threat Intelligence

• GOSI – Open-Source Intelligence

• OSCP (Certified Professional)

• OSCE (Certified Expert)

• OSWP (Wireless Professional)

• OSEE (Exploitation Expert)

• CCFP – Certified Cyber Forensics Professional

• CISSP – Certified Information Systems Security

• CEH – Certified Ethical Hacker

• CHFI – Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator

• LPT – Licensed Penetration Tester

• CSA – EC Council Certified SOC Analyst (Previously ECSA – EC-Council Certified Security Analyst)

• ENSA – EC-Council Network Security Administrator

• ECIH – EC-Council Certified Incident Handler

• ECSS – EC-Council Certified Security Specialist

• ECES – EC-Council Certified Encryption Specialist

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Original Posting:

Pay Range:

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.