πŸ”΄ Offensive Security SOC-100

🧠 1. Certification Name and Issuing Body

  • Full name: Offensive Security Security Operations Certified (SOC-100)

  • Issuing organization: Offensive Security (OffSec)

  • Reputation and global recognition:
    Offensive Security is an industry leader in cybersecurity certifications (known for OSCP, OSCE, OSWE, etc.).
    Although SOC-100 is newer and less known than OSCP, it is quickly gaining trust and prestige for blue team and SOC analyst training, especially valued for practical skills.

πŸ“š 2. Curriculum and Skills Covered

  • Covered domains:

    • Security monitoring and event triage

    • Threat detection and incident response basics

    • Log analysis and correlation

    • Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) operations

    • Network security monitoring (NSM)

    • Common attacker techniques (mapped to MITRE ATT&CK)

  • Depth of content: Strong hands-on focus with simulated environments and real-world triage cases, combined with solid theoretical foundations.

  • Technologies and tools included:

    • SIEM platforms (e.g., Splunk basics, but OffSec uses custom simulated SIEMs)

    • Suricata (IDS/IPS)

    • Zeek (network analysis)

    • Windows Event Viewer

    • Sysmon

    • Network packet analysis tools (Wireshark)

    • Linux command-line tools

  • Relevance in the current job market: Extremely relevant for entry-level cybersecurity roles, especially in SOC, MDR, or detection and response teams.

  • Mapping to frameworks:

    • MITRE ATT&CK (focus on initial access, persistence, defense evasion, discovery)

    • NIST CSF (Detect, Respond functions)

    • NICE Framework (PR.DS, DE.CM categories)

🧩 3. Prerequisites and Recommended Level

  • Prior certifications or experience required: No formal prerequisites.

  • Expected skill level: Beginner to intermediate.

  • Required knowledge:

    • Basic understanding of TCP/IP networking

    • Familiarity with cybersecurity fundamentals

    • Some Linux and Windows operating system knowledge

πŸ’΅ 4. Cost

  • Total cost:

    • $599 USD (includes training material + exam attempt).

  • Study materials or lab access included: Yes, full access to training content, labs, and a practice environment is included.

  • Discounts, scholarships, or regional pricing: Offensive Security occasionally offers bundle discounts but no formal regional pricing yet.

⏳ 5. Estimated Preparation Time

  • Recommended study hours: About 80–120 hours depending on background experience.

  • Self-paced or instructor-led: Self-paced.

  • Learning modes:

    • Fully self-study based on their OffSec Learning Platform (OLP).

    • Structured, module-based progression with hands-on exercises.

🎯 6. Target Roles and Career Path

  • Job roles:

    • SOC Analyst (Tier 1/Tier 2)

    • Cybersecurity Analyst

    • Incident Response Support

    • Detection and Monitoring Specialist

  • Career goals: Ideal if aiming to enter blue team operations or progress toward detection engineering.

  • Technical or managerial: Technical.

πŸ§ͺ 7. Exam Format and Difficulty

  • Online or in-person: Online.

  • Theoretical, hands-on, or both: Hands-on practical exam, not theoretical.

  • Proctored exam or testing center: Proctored exam, done remotely via OffSec Exam Proctoring System.

  • Real-world labs or simulations: Yes, candidates must investigate incidents, analyze alerts, and provide findings based on real-world simulated environments.

  • Length and number of questions:

    • 24-hour practical exam window

    • Focus on multiple investigation scenarios

  • Difficulty level or average pass rate: Medium difficulty. Designed to be challenging but accessible to beginners who have prepared properly.

πŸ“œ 8. Validity and Renewal

  • Expiration: No expiration. Lifetime certification.

  • Renewal process: Not applicable. Lifetime once passed.

🧰 9. Study Resources Available

  • Official documentation:

    • SOC-100 official courseware via Offensive Security Learning Platform (OLP).

  • Recommended books:

    • Β«Blue Team Field ManualΒ» (BTFM)

    • Β«The Practice of Network Security MonitoringΒ» by Richard Bejtlich

  • Online labs or platforms:

    • Labs are built into the OffSec SOC-100 course.

    • Supplemental practice: TryHackMe Β«SOC Level 1Β» path

    • Blue Team Labs Online (BTLO) for extra incident response challenges

  • YouTube channels, community guides:

    • John Hammond (Blue Team topics)

    • IppSec (for related network and forensics challenges)

  • Online communities:

    • OffSec Community Discord

    • Blue Team Village Discord

    • r/blue_team_sec (Reddit)

πŸ’Ό 10. Industry Value and Demand

  • Mentioned in job postings: Not yet widespread (since it’s newer), but Offensive Security brand recognition heavily boosts resume visibility.

  • Boosts profile with recruiters: Absolutely. Recruiters respect OffSec certifications greatly, even newly launched ones.

  • Recognized by top companies or certain countries: Recognized mainly in North America, Europe, and increasingly in APAC for blue team entry-level hiring.

  • Average salary for certified professionals:

    • Entry-level SOC Analyst roles usually offer between $55,000 to $75,000 USD/year, depending on region and additional certs.

🧭 11. Related Certifications and Progression

  • Part of a larger learning path: Yes. SOC-100 fits into the broader OffSec Blue Team learning path.

  • Next steps after completing it:

    • Offensive Security Incident Responder (SOC-200 – under development)

    • CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+)

    • GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC)

    • eLearnSecurity Certified Threat Hunting Professional (eCTHPv2)

  • Comparison or complement: Complements well with any blue team certification like CySA+, GCIH, and eventually advancing into purple team knowledge.

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