INCIDENT HANDLER SKILLS, EXPERIENCE, AND JOB REQUIREMENTS

Published: Aug 25, 2025 - The Incident Handler has proven experience in information security, particularly in incident response, security operations, and threat analysis. This role requires strong technical expertise in troubleshooting, digital forensics, and malware analysis, along with hands-on proficiency in at least three security tools, such as IDS/IPS, firewalls, vulnerability management, or data loss prevention. The handler also needs excellent communication, decision-making, and collaboration skills, with relevant certifications (GIAC, EC-Council, ISC-2, ISACA).

Essential Hard and Soft Skills for a Standout Incident Handler Resume
  • Incident Response
  • Incident Detection
  • Malware Analysis
  • Forensic Analysis
  • Log Analysis
  • Threat Intelligence
  • Network Monitoring
  • Case Management
  • SIEM Management
  • Root Cause Analysis
  • Incident Communication
  • Team Collaboration
  • Problem Solving
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Customer Support
  • Process Improvement
  • Cross-Team Collaboration
  • Security Awareness
  • Postmortem Leadership
  • Issue Escalation

Summary of Incident Handler Knowledge and Qualifications on Resume

1. BS in Information Security with 3 years of Experience

  • Experience working within a similar information security role.
  • Experience with Windows, Linux, and private cloud.
  • Experience with SIEM platforms.
  • Understanding of network fundamentals and common protocols.
  • Deep understanding of the information security threat landscape, including attack vectors and tools, methodologies, and best practices for securing systems and networks.
  • Hands-on experience conducting investigations, evidence collection, and root cause analysis.
  • Ability to identify, prioritize, and remediate vulnerabilities across enterprise systems.
  • Familiarity with securing workloads in public cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP).
  • Knowledge of Security Frameworks & Compliance Standards.
  • Ability to brief executives, IT staff, and cross-functional teams during security events.

2. BS in Computer Science with 6 years of Experience

  • Experience working in the general IT Security industry.
  • Experience with the identification and remediation of security vulnerabilities and active threats in an enterprise environment.
  • Experience working within high-pressure environments or with high-value customers.
  • Technical proficiency in Information Security controls, specifically system-level controls.
  • Technical proficiency and/or broad expertise with IT/network controls.
  • Experience with Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) tools, preferably Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) experience.
  • Great communication skills.
  • Ability to guide teams, mentor junior analysts, and influence decision-making without direct authority.
  • Stay calm, composed, and effective when facing stressful or high-stakes incidents.
  • Strong ability to build trust and work across diverse technical and non-technical groups.
  • Strategic problem-solving skills.

3. BS in Cybersecurity with 4 years of Experience

  • Hands-on experience in the application of all phases of the Incident Response Lifecycle.
  • Working knowledge of common Operating Systems (Windows/Linux, and others) functions and artifacts.
  • Working knowledge of common SIEM tools such as McAfee Nitro, Splunk, Elastic, etc., and supporting sensor infrastructure.
  • Understanding of Enterprise Network Architectures to include routing/switching, common protocols (DHCP, DNS, HTTP, etc), and devices (Firewalls, Proxies, Load Balancers, VPN, etc.).
  • Ability to recognize suspicious activity/events, common attacker TTPs, perform logical analysis, and research to determine root cause and scope of Incidents.
  • Familiarity with methodologies and frameworks such as Intelligence Driven Defense, Cyber Kill Chain, and/or MITRE ATT&CK.
  • Familiarity with Cloud concepts and experience performing monitoring and responding to threats in Cloud environments.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • Ability to work independently or as a member of a team.

4. BS in Information Technology with 7 years of Experience

  • Applicable experience working with various data (network and system) technologies, focused on information systems security incident handling and SIEM event analysis.
  • IAT Level II Baseline Certification, such as CCNA Security, CySA+, GICSP, GSEC, Security+ CE, CND, or SSCP.
  • GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH).
  • ITIL v4 Foundation certification or required within three months of the hiring date.
  • Must have a firm understanding of government cyber and incident policies and directives.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office Products, Microsoft SharePoint, BMC Remedy, SIEM systems, and various analysis tools.
  • Experience applying cyber threat intelligence (CTI) to incident detection, response prioritization, and proactive defense strategies.
  • Hands-on experience with investigating and responding to security incidents in cloud environments (Azure, AWS, GCP).
  • Excellent interpersonal, organization, writing, communication, and briefing skills.
  • Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to stay composed, flexible, and effective when facing rapidly evolving threats and shifting priorities.
  • Skilled at building rapport and aligning technical, operational, and executive stakeholders toward a common incident response goal.

5. BS in Network Engineering with 2 years of Experience

  • Experience working in incident response and/or other IT-related fields tied to networking and enterprise information system environments.
  • Must cover a fixed 24/7/365 shift (mid-day or night)
  • Interest in the cyber security field, including a specific focus on the following domains: enterprise security defense, network and application penetration testing, and incident response.
  • Basic knowledge of network protocols, enterprise architecture, and common network logging functions.
  • Familiarity with platforms like CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, or Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
  • Exposure to Cloud Security Monitoring.
  • Ability to analyze logs across multiple sources (firewalls, IDS/IPS, proxies, servers) to identify anomalies and indicators of compromise.
  • Experience contributing effectively in fast-paced, multi-analyst security operations teams.
  • Ability to prioritize assignments and efforts in a complex work environment.
  • Self-motivated and able to work in an independent manner
  • Industry certifications such as CEH, CISA, and Security+.

6. BS in Digital Forensics with 12 years of Experience

  • Experience regularly connecting with the most senior leaders at Microsoft, up to and including the CEO.
  • Experience in managing and leading all parties involved in security incidents, making key risk decisions, and informing executive leadership.
  • Ability to regularly make high-stakes decisions with executive visibility and company-wide impact on extremely short timelines, often with limited information.
  • Excellent communications, strong interpersonal awareness, attention to detail, and the ability to foster cooperation and trust across teams are key to success in this role.
  • Excellent program management skills to organize information, break down complex problems, and work effectively in situations involving uncertainty are must-haves. 
  • A solid understanding of Microsoft organizations, technologies, and products, especially as they relate to security.
  • Technical depth in security domains.
  • Experience engaging with regulators, customers, partners, or media during high-visibility incidents while protecting reputation and compliance.
  • Strategic risk and compliance expertise.
  • Experience coordinating with external security vendors, intelligence providers, and law enforcement to augment internal response efforts.
  • Proven ability to influence organizational culture around security resilience, driving adoption of best practices beyond immediate incident response.
  • Strong analytical skills to leverage telemetry, incident metrics, and post-mortem data to identify systemic improvements and drive executive reporting.

7. BS in Software Engineering with 9 years of Experience

  • Cyber security operations experience (e.g., SOC/CIRT).
  • In-depth understanding of security issues across many different platforms and the capability to articulate and communicate these issues to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Advanced knowledge of security tools such as SIEM, IDS/IPS, and firewalls.
  • Advanced knowledge of network devices such as switches and routers.
  • Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Windows systems, including Active Directory.
  • Knowledge of web application development languages and methodologies.
  • Team-oriented and skilled in working within a collaborative environment, also the ability to work independently.
  • Experience with cyber monitoring, hunting, and incident response investigations.
  • Ability to effectively multitask, prioritize, and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment.
  • Displays a high level of passion, energy, excitement, and intensity.
  • Ability to be broadly focused and manage multiple efforts concurrently.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Good organizational skills, including prioritization and time management.
  • CISSP or equivalent, and GCIH, or equivalent.

8. BS in Data Science with 5 years of Experience

  • IT experience related to cyber incident response.
  • EnCase certified examiner.
  • GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH), Certified Expert Incident Handler (CEIH), or equivalent.
  • Operational experience with security infrastructure products such as McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator, Tenable Security Center, or ESM.
  • Experience working for a Managed Security Services (MSS) provider in a Security Operations Center, Computer Emergency Incident Response Team, or Computer Security Incident Response Center.
  • Experience in analyzing at the packet level.
  • Change-oriented and able to actively generate process improvements, support and drive changes, and confront difficult circumstances in creative ways.
  • Customer focus, with experience in evaluating decisions through the eyes of the customer, building strong customer relationships, and creating processes with the customer viewpoint.
  • Understanding of cyber-attack techniques, vulnerabilities, and countermeasures.
  • Can articulate security issues, analysis, and remediation techniques to internal and external customers.
  • Must have a desire to continuously grow and improve information security skills.
  • Ability to respond to technical security questions and concerns from clients.

9. BS in Management Information Systems with 6 years of Experience

  • Professional related IT experience.
  • Must have network security experience. 
  • Experience working in a network security environment, such as a Security Operations Center (SOC), Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT), Computer Incident Response Center (CIRC), or Cyber Security Incident Response Center (CSIRC). 
  • Experience with business process reengineering, capability maturity model, change management, or process improvement. 
  • Hands-on work with vulnerability scanning, assessment, and remediation coordination.
  • Proactive identification of adversary behaviors using advanced analytics and frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK.
  • Familiarity with securing workloads in Azure, AWS, or GCP environments.
  • Skilled at rapidly assessing severity, impact, and escalation paths during active incidents.
  • Proven ability to coordinate with legal, HR, engineering, and executive stakeholders during incidents.
  • Exceptional writing and documentation skills. 
  • Ability to quickly assess complex situations and make sound judgments during security events.
  • Comfortable adjusting to shifting priorities, evolving threats, and new technologies.

10. BS in Computer Science with 10 years of Experience

  • Experience working with Incident Response processes, network investigative techniques, network intrusion patterns, malware analysis, and/or cybersecurity trends.
  • Experience executing various Incident Response Frameworks and Handling Procedures.
  • Experience with malware reverse engineering.
  • Experience in Cyber Intelligence or related disciplines.
  • Previous experience with Cyber Kill Chain and diamond model methodology.
  • Understanding of Networking (including the OSI Model, TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP, SMTP), System Administration, and Security Architecture.
  • Understanding Operating Systems and their architectures, including Windows, Unix/Linux, and OSX Operating Systems.
  • Leadership and mentoring skills to help advance the overall capabilities of the TMC organization.
  • Strong communication, presentation, and leadership skills, along with the ability to work in a highly collaborative environment.
  • Strong relationship skills and collaborative style to enable success across multiple partners.
  • Manages multiple priorities in a high-pressure environment.
  • Related certifications (Security+, CISSP, GCIH, GCFA, GCFE, GREM).
  • Ability to comply with any regulatory requirements.

11. BS in Information Security with 6 years of Experience

  • Work experience in information security, especially in an Information operations/incident role.
  • Relevant technical security certifications (GIAC, EC-Council, ISC-2, etc.), optional as well as security architecture/management certifications (ISO27000, ISACA, etc.).
  • Hands-on troubleshooting, analysis, and technical expertise to resolve incidents and service requests.
  • Previous experience in troubleshooting day-to-day operational processes such as security monitoring, data correlation, security operations, etc.
  • Proven experience performing analysis of security events and incidents, to determine root cause and provide resolution, preferably with working experience against advanced persistent threats.
  • Hands-on digital forensic and/or malware analysis experience.
  • Strong working knowledge of at least three of the following security tools: host-based antivirus, anti-spam gateway solutions, firewalls, IDS/IPS, server and network device hardening, data loss prevention, forensics software, vulnerability management, website security.
  • Competent in using both internal and external ticketing systems for ITIL-based incident, problem, and change management.
  • Solid customer orientation with excellent oral and written communication skills.
  • A team-focused mentality with the proven ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders.
  • Ability to effectively influence others to modify their opinions, plans, or behaviors.
  • Proactive attitude, seeking improvement opportunities that can positively impact the security posture and the business.
  • Ability to work extremely well under pressure while maintaining a professional image and approach.
  • Decision-making capabilities, with an ability to weigh the relative costs and benefits of potential actions and identify the most appropriate one.

12. BS in Cybersecurity with 14 years of Experience

  • Knowledge of a wide range of adversary tactics and techniques, ideally with hands-on experience dealing with APT campaigns.
  • Familiarity with a broad range of operating systems and network technologies, including host-based analysis techniques for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X systems, making use of memory forensics and file analysis techniques.
  • Good understanding of Active Directory and Windows environments.
  • Good practical knowledge of static and dynamic malware analysis techniques, including memory injection techniques and malware persistence mechanisms, as well as an applied methodology for assessing suspected or confirmed malware.
  • Ability to review firewall, web, database, and other log sources to identify evidence and artefacts of malicious and compromise activity.
  • Experience with scripting and automation.
  • Can understand when it may be appropriate to call on other specialists during an incident (e.g., to conduct detailed forensics).
  • Subject matter expertise in malware analysis, digital forensics, operating system security, network security, cryptography, software security, security operations, and/or emergent security intelligence.
  • Experience leading the development of security tooling, infrastructure, documentation, processes, and tabletop exercises.
  • Experience with forensics software packages (e.g., EnCase, FTK, X-Ways, SIFT, Splunk, Redline, Volatility, Wireshark, TCPDump).
  • Experience with scripting languages, such as Python, PowerShell, Bash, etc.
  • Ability to search for and identify new threats using YARA rules.
  • Knowledge and experience of malware analysis tools such as IDA Pro, OllyDbg, Immunity Debugger.
  • Information security professional certifications (SANS GCIH, CREST CCIM, CCHIA, CCNIA, CCMRE, CRIA, or CPIA).
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a focus on distilling and translating technically complex issues into simple, easy-to-understand concepts.
  • Experience coaching clients through the development of their incident response plans or conducting tabletop exercises.
  • Highly motivated, self-driven, with the ability to work autonomously and within a team in a fast-paced environment.
  • Good time management and organisational skills.
  • Clear decision-making in time-critical and business-critical situations.
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