The Certified Security Operations Professional (CSOP) is an industry-aligned cybersecurity certification designed to validate real-world Security Operations Center (SOC) skills. Unlike theory-heavy exams, CSOP focuses on practical decision-making, incident analysis, and operational response expected from modern SOC analysts and blue team professionals.

CSOP evaluates a candidate’s ability to:

• Detect and analyze security incidents

• Triage alerts from SIEM and security tools

• Respond to threats using structured incident response processes

• Apply threat intelligence and MITRE ATT&CK techniques

• Operate effectively within SOC workflows and SOPs

The exam is individual, proctored, online, and built using scenario-based multiple-choice questions that reflect real SOC environments.

🎯 Who Should Take CSOP?

CSOP is ideal for:

• SOC Analysts (Level 1 & Level 2)

• Blue Team Professionals

• Incident Responders

• Cybersecurity Analysts

• Security Engineers transitioning into SOC roles

• IT professionals moving into security operations

• Final-year cybersecurity students seeking job-ready validation

🧪 Exam Overview

• Exam Format: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

• Question Type: Scenario-Based & Applied Knowledge

• Exam Mode: Online, Proctored, Individual

• Duration: Up to 6 Hours

• Question Pool: 600+ Questions

• Questions per Attempt: Randomized selection

• Passing Score: 70% (subject to review)

• Certificate: Issued upon successful completion

🧩 Key Skills Validated

• SOC monitoring and alert triage

• SIEM log analysis and correlation

• Incident detection and classification

• Incident response lifecycle handling

• Threat intelligence consumption

• MITRE ATT&CK mapping

• Security operations documentation

• Compliance-driven SOC reporting

📚 CSOP Syllabus (30 Modules)

Domain 1: SOC Foundations

1. Security Operations Center (SOC) Concepts

2. SOC Roles, Responsibilities, and Maturity Models

3. Blue Team vs Red Team vs Purple Team

4. SOC Architecture and Data Flow

Domain 2: Security Monitoring & Logging

5. Log Sources and Log Normalization

6. Windows Event Logs Analysis

7. Linux and Unix Log Analysis

8. Network Logs and Firewall Events

Domain 3: SIEM Operations

9. SIEM Architecture and Components

10. Alert Generation and Correlation Rules

11. False Positives vs True Positives

12. Alert Triage and Prioritization

Domain 4: Threat Detection

13. Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

14. Behavioral vs Signature-Based Detection

15. Malware Detection Techniques

16. Command-and-Control (C2) Detection

Domain 5: Incident Response

17. Incident Response Lifecycle

18. Incident Classification and Severity Levels

19. Containment, Eradication, and Recovery

20. Post-Incident Review and Lessons Learned

Domain 6: Threat Intelligence

21. Threat Intelligence Types and Sources

22. MITRE ATT&CK Framework Application

23. Adversary Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures

24. Intelligence-Driven SOC Operations

Domain 7: Network & Endpoint Security

25. Network-Based Attacks and Detection

26. Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

27. Lateral Movement and Privilege Escalation

Domain 8: Governance & Reporting

28. SOC Metrics, KPIs, and Reporting

29. Compliance, Policies, and SOPs

30. Documentation, Escalation, and Communication

🛡️ Why Choose CSOP?

• Industry-focused, not theory-heavy

• Scenario-driven questions based on real SOC workflows

• Designed to reflect actual job responsibilities

• Individual and proctored exam model

• Suitable for hiring validation and career advancement