SecOps

 

🎓 Full ServiceNow SecOps Course – Beginner to Expert + Exam Notes

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📘 Module 1: Introduction to SecOps

Topic	Notes
What is SecOps?	A solution to manage security incidents, threats, vulnerabilities in one platform
Core Goals	Reduce Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time to Respond (MTTR)
Key Apps	- Security Incident Response (SIR) - Vulnerability Response (VR) - Threat Intelligence - Configuration Compliance
Frameworks Used	NIST, MITRE ATT&CK, CIS Benchmarks

📝 Exam Note: Understand the difference between SecOps apps and their use cases.

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🔐 Module 2: Core Applications in SecOps

App	Key Features	Exam Notes
Security Incident Response (SIR)	Categorize and respond to security incidents	Know lifecycle stages: Detection → Analysis → Containment → Eradication → Recovery
Vulnerability Response (VR)	Track and remediate CVEs	Know vulnerability groups, task generation, and remediation workflow
Threat Intelligence	Ingest and analyze IOCs	Understand STIX/TAXII, and how enrichment improves incident handling
Configuration Compliance (Optional)	Ensure system config compliance with CIS, NIST	Know what a deviation is and how compliance score is calculated

📝 Exam Note: You’ll be asked scenario-based questions (e.g., what happens when a SIR is auto-created from a SIEM alert).

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⚙️ Module 3: Platform Configuration Skills

Skill	Purpose	Exam Notes
CMDB	Identify affected CIs in incidents and VR	Know how CI class affects prioritization
Flow Designer	Automate playbooks and tasks	Know trigger types, conditions, and subflows
Roles & ACLs	Secure visibility into sensitive data	Know key roles: sn_si.admin, sn_vul.admin, sn_ti.admin
Notifications	Alert users of critical updates	Know when to use email vs work notes vs activity log

📝 Exam Note: Know how to configure SecOps roles, CI relationships, and how assignment rules work for tasks.

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📡 Module 4: Integrations

Tool	Integration Type	Exam Notes
SIEM (Splunk, QRadar)	Alert → SIR via REST or IntegrationHub	Know how alerts are parsed into security incidents
Scanners (Qualys, Tenable)	Vulnerability import and grouping	Know what VR groups are and how to handle duplicate findings
Threat Feeds (STIX/TAXII)	IOC Enrichment	Know how indicators are used and linked to SIRs or VRs
IntegrationHub / MID Server	Connect to 3rd-party security systems	Know which integrations use MID Server (on-prem vs cloud)

📝 Exam Note: Expect questions like “How is threat intel used to enrich an incident?” or “How does a MID Server facilitate scanner ingestion?”

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🧠 Module 5: Automation & Playbooks

Topic	Summary	Exam Notes
What is a Playbook?	A Flow Designer-based workflow to automate security response	Playbooks can be Manual, Semi-Automated, or Fully Automated
Common Flows	Malware detection, Phishing, Unusual login, Vulnerability patching	Know what action steps (e.g., enrich, assign, notify) are used
Trigger Types	Field-based, script-based, integration-triggered	You’ll get MCQs on playbook step types and triggers

📝 Exam Note: Questions will test your ability to build or troubleshoot playbooks.

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📊 Module 6: Dashboards & Reporting

Element	Use	Exam Notes
Performance Analytics	Visualize MTTR, MTTD, open threats, resolved issues	You’ll be asked to identify PA widgets and KPIs used for SecOps
Dashboards	Analyst dashboards, exec views, trending attacks	Know which widgets give incident status, priority trends, vulnerability backlog

📝 Exam Note: Know how to interpret a SecOps dashboard and what PA indicators are used.

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🧪 Module 7: Hands-On Projects

Project	Use Case
Splunk Alert → SIR	Create a Security Incident via REST API and enrich with threat intel
Qualys Import → VR Grouping	Group vulnerabilities by OS/CI and trigger patching
Automated Phishing Response	Ingest email → Check sender → Lookup in threat feeds → Block IP → Notify analyst
HR Exit Workflow + SecOps	Auto-disable access and create a SIR if risky behavior detected pre-exit

📝 Exam Tip: Practice these in a developer instance for scenario-based learning.

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🏆 Module 8: CIS–SecOps Certification Prep

Area	Details
Exam Name	Certified Implementation Specialist – Security Operations
Format	60 multiple-choice questions
Time	90 minutes
Pass Score	70%
Domains Covered	SIR (30%), VR (30%), Threat Intel (15%), Platform & Integrations (25%)
Tips	Practice in personal dev instance, go through ServiceNow docs & community articles, take mock tests

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✅ 1-Week Learning Roadmap: Start with SecOps → Intro to GRC

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🔹 🗓️ Day 1: ServiceNow & SecOps Foundation

Focus	Activity
🔧 Setup	Create a ServiceNow PDI (Personal Developer Instance)
📘 Learn	What is SecOps, and how does it connect to ITSM?
💡 Topic	Understand key modules:
→ Security Incident Response (SIR)
→ Vulnerability Response (VR)
→ Threat Intelligence
🔍 Task	Explore SecOps application navigator, try creating dummy SIR record

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🔹 🗓️ Day 2: Security Incident Response (SIR)

Focus	Activity
📘 Learn	Lifecycle of a security incident (Detection → Containment → Closure)
⚙️ Task	Create a Security Incident manually with these fields:
→ Type: Malware
→ Source: Email
→ Impact: High
→ Affected CI: Web Server
🧪 Bonus	Explore Flow Designer for a basic SIR notification flow

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🔹 🗓️ Day 3: Vulnerability Response (VR)

Focus	Activity
📘 Learn	What is a CVE, vulnerability item vs group, and remediation task?
⚙️ Task	Manually create a Vulnerability Item with:
→ CVE ID: CVE-2023-0001
→ CI: Database Server
→ Risk Score: 8
🧪 Bonus	Link VR to a Change Request (patching flow)

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🔹 🗓️ Day 4: Threat Intelligence (TI) + Integration View

Focus	Activity
📘 Learn	What are Indicators (IoC), STIX/TAXII, and how feeds enrich incidents
⚙️ Task	Add 2–3 threat indicators:
→ IP, domain, file hash
→ Correlate with a SIR record
🔌 Learn	How Splunk / QRadar alerts can auto-create SIR in real life

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🔹 🗓️ Day 5: GRC Foundation Begins

Focus	Activity
📘 Learn	What is GRC, and how it connects to SecOps and risks
🔍 Explore	GRC Modules:
→ Policy & Compliance
→ Risk Management
→ Audit
⚙️ Task	Create a simple:
→ Policy Statement
→ Control
→ Risk Statement

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🔹 🗓️ Day 6: GRC & SecOps Link

Focus	Activity
🔗 Learn	How GRC pulls data from SecOps:
→ Risk triggered from SIR
→ Control violation from VR
⚙️ Task	Simulate:
→ A malware SIR triggers a Risk
→ Link it to Policy Violation record

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🔹 🗓️ Day 7: Real-World Practice + Wrap Up

Focus	Activity
💡 Review	Summary of:
→ SIR, VR, TI, GRC Basics
→ Integration Points
⚙️ Task	Create a full flow:
→ SIR → Linked Indicator → Risk Triggered → Control Failure
📈 Output	Build a simple dashboard:
→ Total SIRs
→ High-risk vulnerabilities
→ Failed Controls

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🏁 Output by End of Week:

• ✅ Solid foundation in SecOps

• ✅ Intro knowledge of GRC

• ✅ Hands-on practice in both modules

• ✅ Clear visibility of how they integrate

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