SOCs are often bombarded with a massive number of alerts. Having a clear workflow in place—and knowing exactly what to do at each stage—can significantly reduce analyst fatigue and anxiety.
At its core, alert triage comes down to one key question:
Does this alert require further investigation?
The first step is to confirm the alert isn’t a “False Positive.” we are looking for the “Truth” behind the data.
“The SIEM says there’s a virus on a laptop. Does that file actually exist on the disk, or was it just a temporary browser file that the antivirus already blocked?”
Once you know the alert is real, we need more information to understand the danger. This is where we use Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI).
“The laptop has a suspicious file. I’ll check VirusTotal to see if other companies have seen this file. I’ll check the User’s Identity—is this a regular employee or an IT Admin with high-level access?”
After having the full picture, we choose the best response (Remediation).
“This is a targeted malware attack on an Admin account. I will Isolate the Host from the network, Reset the User’s Password, and escalate to the Level 2 Incident Response team.”
| Step | What you do (Workflow) | The Skill required |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Verify | Determine if the alert is a “False Positive.” | Knowing which logs to check. (e.g., checking host logs to see if a file was actually executed). Tools: SIEM, Log |
| 2. Enrich | Add context via Threat Intel (CTI) or identity. | Understanding the baseline. (e.g., is it “normal” for this specific user to access these files?). Who owns this IP? Tools: VirusTotal, Whois, AD… etc |
| 3. Decide | Remediate or escalate the threat. | Explaining your decision. Why esclating? |
Last Modified: 2026-01-05