Security Analyst Goals and Objectives Examples
Perform vulnerability assessments on critical systems.
Conduct penetration testing to identify security weaknesses in systems.
Implement and maintain intrusion detection/prevention systems.
Monitor network traffic for signs of malicious activity.
Analyze logs to identify potential security incidents.
Develop incident response plans and procedures.
Investigate security incidents and breaches.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to mitigate security risks.
Stay up-to-date with the latest security trends and best practices.
Conduct security audits to assess compliance with policies and standards.
Create and maintain documentation on security procedures, policies, and standards.
Manage access controls to ensure only authorized personnel have access to sensitive information.
Develop and implement security awareness training for employees.
Work with vendors to ensure third-party products meet security requirements.
Participate in forensic investigations when necessary.
Configure firewalls and other perimeter defense systems.
Conduct risk assessments to identify potential vulnerabilities.
Identify and remediate misconfigurations in systems.
Regularly review and update security incident response plans.
Test disaster recovery plans to ensure they are effective.
Assess the effectiveness of current security controls and make recommendations for improvement.
Maintain inventory of all IT assets and their associated risks.
Advise business units on appropriate security controls for new projects and initiatives.
Ensure compliance with relevant regulatory requirements (e.g., HIPAA, PCI DSS).
Review and approve change requests to IT systems to ensure they do not introduce new vulnerabilities.
Work with legal department to ensure contracts include appropriate security provisions.
Develop data retention policies that balance business needs with data security requirements.
Investigate phishing attempts and other email-based attacks.
Implement multifactor authentication to protect sensitive information.
Monitor social media channels for signs of cyber threats targeting the organization.
Evaluate and recommend security technologies and tools.
Manage security incidents from start to finish.
Provide guidance on secure coding practices for application development teams.
Develop and test backup and restore procedures for critical systems.
Conduct periodic reviews of user account privileges and revoke unnecessary access.
Ensure encryption is used when transmitting sensitive data over public networks.
Conduct regular vulnerability scans on internal systems.
Configure security settings on servers, workstations, and other devices.
Ensure network segmentation is in place to limit impact of security incidents.
Help develop incident response playbooks for different types of incidents (e.g., malware infections, denial of service attacks).
Develop and enforce password policies that promote strong passwords.
Maintain up-to-date technical knowledge of security tools and vulnerabilities.
Manage certificates for secure communication between systems.
Monitor cloud services for unauthorized access or activity.
Review third-party audit reports (e.g., SOC 2) for security-related issues.
Collaborate with physical security team to ensure building access controls are effective.
Test backups to ensure they can be recovered in case of a disaster.
Develop and maintain relationships with law enforcement agencies for cybercrime investigations.
Ensure all software is regularly updated with the latest security patches.
Assess mobile device risks and implement appropriate security controls (e.g., mobile device management).
Test incident response plans through tabletop exercises and simulations.
Collaborate with HR department to ensure terminated employees have their access revoked promptly.
Monitor external threat intelligence sources for signs of attacks targeting the organization.
Develop and maintain a threat model for the organization's critical assets and systems.
Configure remote access systems securely (e.g., VPNs).
Conduct internal phishing campaigns to educate users on identifying suspicious emails.
Implement endpoint detection and response solutions to detect and respond to advanced threats.
Ensure database access controls are in place to prevent unauthorized access or modification of data.
Conduct background checks on employees with privileged access to sensitive information.
Conduct regular security awareness training for executives and board members.
Implement network segmentation to reduce the blast radius of security incidents.
Monitor system logs for signs of insider threats (e.g., data exfiltration).
Develop a process for reviewing third-party code before it is integrated into applications.
Conduct periodic disaster recovery tests to ensure they are effective in a real-world scenario.
Ensure secure disposal of sensitive data when hardware is decommissioned or repurposed.
Develop a process for managing privileged access (e.g., use of privileged access workstations).
Investigate security incidents involving wireless networks (e.g., rogue access points).
Configure web application firewalls to protect against common attacks (e.g., SQL injection).
Develop a process for tracking changes made to configuration files on critical systems.
Monitor cloud service providers for changes in their security posture (e.g., new data centers).
Develop a process for managing digital certificates across the organization.
Ensure all network traffic is encrypted where applicable (e.g., HTTPS, SSH).
Develop contingency plans for cases where key personnel are unavailable during a security incident (e.g., alternate contacts).
Investigate threats originating from social engineering attacks (e.g., phone-based phishing scams).
Implement secure DNS resolution mechanisms to prevent DNS hijacking attacks.
Configure SIEM solutions to aggregate logs from multiple sources for easier analysis.
Develop a process for managing identity and access management systems securely (e.g., SSO, IAM).
Monitor cloud providers for compliance with relevant regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
Develop processes for ensuring secure storage, transmission, and disposal of cryptographic keys.
Conduct regular tabletop exercises with executive leadership to test their response during a major security incident.