Cyber Network Defense Analyst

Overview

Join Our Stellar Team at Castalia Systems!

Are you ready to skyrocket your career with us? We're on the lookout for ambitious individuals who are eager to make their mark in a diverse and thriving environment.

At Castalia Systems, we're not just another company – we're a certified Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) and Small Disadvantage Business (SDB) committed to excellence since 2011. Join us in delivering top-tier solutions to the dynamic Defense and Intelligence sector.

As valued members of our team, we prioritize your well-being. Enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401k matching, generous PTO, paid holidays, professional training opportunities, and even pet insurance to ensure your furry friends are cared for too.

Responsibilities

Castalia Systems is seeking a Cyber Network Defense Analyst in the Arlington, VA area.

We are seeking Cyber Network Defense Analyst (CNDA) to support the critical customer mission which provides remote and onsite advanced technical assistance, proactive hunting, rapid onsite incident response, and immediate investigation and resolution using host-based, network-based and cloud-based cybersecurity analysis capabilities. Team personnel present front-line response for digital forensics/incident response (DFIR) and proactively hunting for malicious cyber activity.The CNDA uses information collected from a variety of sources to monitor network activity and analyze it for evidence of suspicious behavior. Monitoring and analysis are performed to identify and report events that occur, or might occur, within the network, to protect information, information systems, and networks from threats.

A qualified candidate will perform the following duties and responsibilities, but are not limited to:

• Assist the Government lead in coordinating teams in preliminary incident response investigations.
• Assist the Government lead with interfacing with the customer while on site.
• Determine appropriate courses of actions in response to identified and analyses anomalous network activity.
• Assess network topology and device configurations identifying critical security concerns and providing security best practice recommendations.
• Collect network intrusion artifacts (e.g., PCAP, domains, URI’s, certificates, etc.) and uses discovered data to enable mitigation of potential Computer Network Defense incidents.
• Analyze identified malicious network activity to determine weaknesses exploited, exploitation methods, effects on system and information.
• Collect network device integrity data and analyze for signs of tampering or compromise.
• Assist with real-time CND incident handling (i.e., forensic collections, intrusion correlation and tracking, threat analysis, and advising on system remediation) tasks to support onsite engagement.

Qualifications

Security Clearance Requirement:

Active/current TS/SCI clearance and must be able to obtain DHS suitability is required.

Required Qualifications:

• BS Computer Science, Cyber Security, Computer Engineering, or related degree; or HS Diploma & 7-9 years of network investigations experience.
• 5 years of directly relevant experience in network investigations.
• In-depth knowledge of CND policies, procedures and regulations.
• In-depth knowledge of TCP/IP protocols.
• In depth knowledge of standard protocols – ICMP, HTTP/S, DNS, SSH, SMTP, SMB, NFS, etc.
• In depth knowledge and experience of Wifi networking.
• In-depth knowledge and experience of network topologies - DMZ’s, WAN’s, etc.
• Substantial knowledge of Splunk (or other SIEM’s).
• Understanding of MITRE Adversary Tactics, Techniques and Common Knowledge (ATT&CK).
• Knowledge of Computer Network Defense policies, procedures, and regulations.
• Knowledge of defense-in-depth principles and general attack stages with respect to network security architecture.
• Ability to characterize and analyze network traffic to identify anomalous activity and potential threats to network resources.
• Ability to identify and analyze anomalies in network traffic using metadata.
• Experience with reconstructing a malicious attack or activity based on network traffic.
• Experience examining network topologies to understand data flows through the network.
• Must be able to work collaboratively across physical locations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• DoD 8140.01 IAT Level II, IASAE II, CSSP Analyst, GCIA, GCIH, CSSP Analyst/CSSP Incident Responder, CEH.
• SANS GIAC GNFA.
• Substantial knowledge of network device integrity concepts and methodologies.
• Proficiency with network analysis software (e.g. Wireshark).
• Proficiency with carving and extracting information from PCAP data.
• Proficiency with non-traditional network traffic (e.g. Command and Control).
• Proficiency with preserving evidence integrity according to standard operating procedures or national standards.
• Proficiency with virtualized environments.

Castalia Systems is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer and strives to comply with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, marital status, HIV-positive status, as well as any other category protected by federal, state, or local laws. All such discrimination is unlawful, and all persons involved in the operations of the company are prohibited from engaging in this type of conduct.