Cyber Incident Response Tier III Analyst

Description

PingWind is seeking a Cyber Incident Response Tier III Analyst to support our VA customer at Hines, IL Martinsburg, WV, or Austin, TX.

Location: On-site in Hines, IL Martinsburg, WV, or Austin, TX

Required Clearance: Ability to obtain Tier 4 / High Risk Background Investigation

Certifications: Must currently have or be willing to obtain one of the following certifications (or equivalent):

• GIAC Certified Incident Handler
• EC-Council’s Certified Incident Handler (ECIH)
• GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH)
• Incident Handling & Response Professional (IHRP)
• Certified Computer Security Incident Handler (CSIH)
• Certified Incident Handling Engineer (CIHE)
• EC-Council’s Certified Ethical Hacker
  
  
  

Required Education

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent work experience)
  
  
  

Required Experience:

• 5 years of experience supporting incident response in an enterprise-level Security Operations Center (SOC)
  
  
  

Responsibilities

• In-depth forensics and root cause analysis for alerts and incidents
• Handling Tier 2 ticket escalations by performing forensic root cause analysis and delivering actionable remediation recommendations and or appropriate next steps
• Perform post incident analysis to ensure accurate and detailed documentation of incident response activities, including analysis, actions taken, and lessons learned
• Work with Watch Officers and Team Leads on a bridge to function as SME for major incidents
• Updating playbooks based on findings of the incident trends and outcomes of auditing tasks
• Develop and operationalize advanced security analytic use cases to detect and respond to sophisticated cyber threats in real-time
• Create dashboards/reports based on these trends or searches to provide clarity of information being defined
• Interface with the Cyber Detection Analytics (CDA) Team to recommend tuning based on findings
• Support mentoring and training of junior analysts on alerts, playbooks, and tools
• Stay informed of latest cybersecurity threats and best practices
• Perform real-time monitoring and triage of security alerts in Cybersecurity toolsets including SIEM, and EDR
• Make accurate determination of what alerts are false positives or require further investigation and prioritization
• Lead and actively participate in the investigation, analysis, and resolution of cybersecurity incidents. Analyze attack patterns, determine the root cause, and recommend appropriate remediation measures to prevent future occurrences
• Ensure accurate and detailed documentation of incident response activities, including analysis, actions taken, and lessons learned. Collaborate with knowledge management teams to maintain up-to-date incident response playbooks
• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including forensics, threat intelligence, IT, and network administrators. Clearly communicate technical information and incident-related updates to management and stakeholders
• Identify and action opportunities for tuning alerts to make the incident response team more efficient
• Monitor the performance of security analytics and automation processes regularly, identifying areas for improvement and taking proactive measures to enhance their efficacy
• Leverage Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) platforms to streamline and automate incident response processes, including enrichment, containment, and remediation actions
• Support the mentoring and training of more junior IR staff
• Stay informed about the latest cybersecurity threats, trends, and best practices. Actively participate in cybersecurity exercises, drills, and simulations to improve incident response capabilities
  
  
  

Requirements

• Work 100% on-site Tuesday through Saturday from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM
• A deep understanding of cybersecurity principles, incident response methodologies, and a proactive mindset to ensure our SOC operates effectively in a high-pressure environment
• Strong experience with security technologies, including SIEM, IDS/IPS, EDR, and network monitoring tools
• Experience with enterprise ticketing systems like ServiceNow
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment to identify errors, pinpoint root causes, and devise solutions with minimal oversight
• Ability to learn and function in multiple capacities and learn quickly
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
  
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to investigate Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) using Splunk by correlating logs from multiple sources to detect, trace, and assess threat activity across the enterprise
• Experience leveraging Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE) to perform endpoint investigations, analyze process trees, and validate IOCs during active threat scenarios
• Ability to remediate phishing incidents, including analysis of email headers, links, and attachments, identifying impacted users, and executing containment actions such as user lockouts, email quarantine, and domain blacklisting
• Experience performing root cause analysis of malware leveraging PowerShell, using tools such as MDE advanced hunting (KQL) and Splunk to identify infection paths, attacker behavior, and persistence mechanisms
  
  
  

About PingWind

PingWind is focused on delivering outstanding services to the federal government. We have extensive experience in the fields of cyber security, development, IT infrastructure, supply chain management and other professional services such as system design and continuous improvement. PingWind is a VA CVE certified Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and SBA HUBZone Certified with offices in Washington DC and Northern Virginia. www.PingWind.com

Our benefits include:

• Paid Federal Holidays
• Robust Health & Dental Insurance Options
• 401k with matching
• Paid vacation and sick leave
• Continuing education assistance
• Short Term / Long Term Disability & Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• through Sun Life Financial EAP Guidance Resources
  
  
  

Veterans are encouraged to apply

PingWind, Inc. does not discriminate in employment opportunities, terms and conditions of employment, or practices on the basis of race, age, gender, religious or political beliefs, national origin or heritage, disability, sexual orientation, or any characteristic protected by law

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.