In Security Operations Centres (SOCs) security practitioners work using a range of tools to detect and mitigate malicious computer-network activity. Sonification, in which data is represented as sound, is said to have potential as an approach to addressing some of the unique challenges faced by SOCs. For example, sonification has been shown to enable peripheral monitoring of processes, which could aid practitioners multitasking in busy SOCs. The perspectives of security practitioners on incorporating sonification into their actual working environments have not yet been examined, however. The aim of this paper therefore is to address this gap by exploring attitudes to using sonification in SOCs. We report on the results of a study consisting of an online survey (N=20) and interviews (N=21) with security practitioners working in a range of different SOCs. Our contribution is a refined appreciation of the contexts in which sonification could aid in SOC working practice, and an understanding of the areas in which sonification may not be beneficial or may even be problematic.We also analyse the critical requirements for the design of sonification systems and their integration into the SOC setting. Our findings clarify insights into the potential benefits and challenges of introducing sonification to support work in this vital security-monitoring environment.
D' investigated the workflow, decision processes, and tool use of security practitioners in SOCs using cognitive task analysis @cite_53 . Cognitive challenges including the massive amounts of network data were identified. D' also explored the perspectives of security practitioners on the use of security visualizations in their work @cite_41 . Findings indicated that visualizations could support data analysis.
@cite_41 @cite_53
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In a survey of cyber defense practitioners, we presented 39 assertions about the work cyber operators do, data sources they use, and how they use or could use cyber security visual presentations. The assertions were drawn from prior work in cyber security visualization over 15 years. Our goal was to determine if these assertions are still valid for today’s cyber operators. Participants included industry, government and academia experts with real experience in the cyber domain. Results validated the assertions, which will serve as a foundation for follow-on security visualization research. Feedback also indicates that when analyzing a security situation, cyber operators inspect large volumes of data, usually in alpha-numeric format, and try to answer a series of analytic questions, expending considerable cognitive energy. Operators believe security visualizations could support their analysis and communication of findings, as well as training new operators. A Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) was performed to investigate the workflow, decision processes, and cognitive demands of information assurance (IA) analysts responsible for defending against attacks on critical computer networks. We interviewed and observed 41 IA analysts responsible for various aspects of cyber defense in seven organizations within the US Department of Defense (DOD) and industry. Results are presented as workflows of the analytical process and as attribute tables including analyst goals, decisions, required knowledge, and obstacles to successful performance. We discuss how IA analysts progress through three stages of situational awareness and how visual representations are likely to facilitate cyber defense situational awareness.