Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO) SME

Quantum Sky; Colorado Springs (CO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Quantum Sky is seeking a Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO) SME to support the US Space Force's SPICES contract. The role focuses on intrusion detection, threat analysis, and developing defensive measures to improve squadron readiness and mission assurance across space mission systems.

The position requires active DoD CSSP Analyst or Incident Responder certification, 8+ years of relevant cyber experience, and strong experience with SIEM, IDS/IPS, and ELK stack.

Qualifications

• Active DoD 8570.07-M CSSP Analyst or Incident Responder certifications.
• CEH, CySA+, GCIH, GCIA, CFR, CCNA Cyber Ops, CCNA-Security, GICSP, Cloud+, SCYBER, PenTest+, CHFI or GCFA.
• Eight (8)+ years of relevant cybersecurity experience.
• Experience with Cybersecurity Monitoring, Intrusion Detection and Incident Response.
• Experience performing Continuous Cybersecurity Monitoring, Intrusion Detection and Cyber Incident Response.
• Proficiency with ELK Stack, Kibana, Suricata, Splunk, Snort, Wireshark, Zeek, tcpdump, LogRhythm, ePO/HBSS, ACAS, SolarWinds, Microsoft 365, AD WMIC commands.
• CSSP experience is preferred.
• Familiarity with Space Operations.
• IAT III certification required; qualifying certifications include CASP+ CE, CCNP Security, CISA, CISSP (or Associate), GCED, GCIH, CCSP.

Responsibilities

• Develop operational and technical materials to aid in increasing proficiency of the crews.
• Provide cyber defense remediation and mitigation implementation recommendations in support of all incidents/events.
• Provide support for Operational Planning Teams (OPTs) and crew shift planning processes; participate in planning, recommend COAs, validate the technical approach to meet mission objectives.
• Draft and validate DCO TTPs; SOPs; OIs; and DCO Crew operations materials and related products.
• Analyze new DCO-Space capability releases to assess new functionality for mission execution.
• Attend meetings and VTCs at Unclassified, Secret, and TS/SCI levels as required.
• Provide recommendations for exercises and mission rehearsals.
• Maintain proficiency by performing DCO crew operations for space mission systems.
• Provide expertise for DCO-Space capabilities including SIEM, IDS/IPS, ELK Stack, SOAR, firewalls, endpoints, and related tooling.
• Augment and advise crews performing intrusion detection monitoring and analysis.
• Review Cyber 9-Line inputs for SITREP and MISREP accuracy.
• Advise on cyber incident response processes per squadron policies.
• Support CIRTs and provide technical assistance to determine incident nature and impact.
• Create COAs and sequencing to mitigate threats to space mission systems.
• Participate in post-incident hot washes and lessons-learned processes.
• Recommend cyber incident response best practices to improve TTPs, processes, and policies.
• Offer recommendations to optimize DCO-Space capabilities and countermeasure development.

Skills

Cybersecurity Monitoring

Intrusion Detection

Cyber Incident Response

DoD CSSP Analyst

DoD CSSP Incident Responder

Cybersecurity Experience (6+ yrs)

Cybersecurity Experience (8+ yrs)

Education

CSSP Analyst Certification

IAT Level III Certification

8+ years Cybersecurity experience

Tools

ELK Stack

Kibana

Suricata

Splunk

Snort

Wireshark

Zeek

tcpdump

LogRhythm

ACAS

SolarWinds

Microsoft Office 365

Active Directory WMIC

Job description

Quantum Sky is searching for a Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO) SME to support the United States Space Force (USSF) Space Operations Command (SpOC) Intelligence and Cyber Defense for the Enterprise Services (SPICES) contract as a Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO) Subject Matter Expert (SME). The DCO SME supports support development, improve proficiency, and increase operational effectiveness of USSF Cyber Squadron personnel by providing/ employing DCO capabilities, conducting intrusion detection monitoring and analysis, identifying malicious cyber activity and determining attack vectors, executing cyber response activities, developing defensive countermeasures, and providing Subject Matter Expertise to the United States Space Force Cyber Guardians.

Responsibilities

• Develop operational and technical materials to aid in increasing proficiency of the crews
• Provide cyber defense remediation and mitigation implementation recommendations in support of all incidents/events
• Provide support for all Operational Planning Teams (OPTs) and crew shift planning processes. Support includes participating in the planning process, recommending course of action (COAs), and validating the technical approach to meet mission objectives
• Draft and validate accuracy of squadron level DCO Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs); Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); Operational Instructions (OIs); as well as DCO Crew operations products, evaluation and material, and other related materials
• Conduct analysis on new DCO-Space capability releases to assess new functionality and inform employment for mission execution
• Attend meetings, teleconferences, and Video Teleconferences (VTCs) at the Unclassified, Secret, and TS/SCI level (as required)
• Provide recommendations for exercises and mission rehearsals
• Maintain proficiency by performing DCO crew operation for assigned space mission systems
• Provide expertise for DCO-Space capabilities, to include Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM); Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems; ELK (Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana) Stack; Endpoint Protection Systems; Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR); Firewalls; Log Aggregator; Protocol Analyzers; Vulnerability Assessment Tools
• Augment and advise the crews performing intrusion detection monitoring and analysis
• Provide input and review Cyber 9-Line; and review accuracy of cyber incident inputs for SITREP and MISREP
• Advise and assist with cyber incident response processes IAW squadron policies and procedures, to include:
• Assist in providing in-depth analysis of incidents by determining the incident’s nature, formulating recommended response actions, correlating event and incident data across assigned space mission systems, determining actions to be taken, and assessing possible effects on assigned mission systems
• Participate in Government-established Cyber Incident Response Teams (CIRTs) and provide technical assistance in determining the cyber events/incident’s nature and impact to space mission systems; develop and recommend mitigation and/or remediation COAs; ensure mission system owners/operators and leadership have situational awareness of active response activities via recurring status reports and/or update briefs
• Provide technical expertise in the creation of recommendation of Courses of Action (COA) along with suggested timing and sequencing of actions to mitigate and/or remediate cyber threats to space mission systems
• Participate in post-incident hot washes and lessons learned processes as required by the Government
• Recommend cyber incident response best practices to improve TTPs, processes, and policies
• Provide recommendations on how to best optimize DCO-Space capabilities, to include countermeasure development (i.e., signatures, rules, policies, etc.) for defensive sensors and capabilities deployed on space mission system networks and endpoints to eliminate false positives; prioritize actionable alerts; and to provide enhanced correlation accuracy for cyber incidents, events, trends, and behaviors
• Assist and support CYS Government personnel on how to identify, document, and track normal baseline activity for assigned space mission systems by monitoring, collecting, and analyzing space mission system data traffic; and reviewing, auditing, and analyzing network and endpoint logs
• Assist and support CYS Government personnel on performing Mission Relevant Terrain – Cyber (MRT-C) identification and mapping, leveraging Functional Mission Analysis – Cyber (FMA-C) concepts for assigned space mission systems
• Assist and support CYS Government personnel on how to conduct cyber missions, to include Survey, Recon, Escort, Hunt, Strike, Recover and others on assigned space mission systems to detect, track, and disrupt Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) that evade existing cybersecurity controls and detection capabilities
• Provide inputs to post-mission analysis process for Cyber missions as required by the Government
• Recommend cyber mission best practices to improve TTPs, processes, and policies

Required

• Minimum of one (1) active DoD 8570.07-M Cyber Security Services Provider (CSSP) "Analyst" or "Incident Responder" certifications:
• CEH, CySA+, GCIH, GCIA, CFR, CCNA Cyber Ops, CCNA-Security, GICSP, Cloud+, SCYBER, PenTest+, CHFI or GCFA
• Six (6) years of Cyber Security Analyst work experience (or equivalent).
• Experience includes Cybersecurity Monitoring; Cybersecurity Analyst; Intrusion Detection and/or Cyber Incident Response.
• Experience performing Continuous Cybersecurity Monitoring, Intrusion Detection and Cyber Incident Response.
• Experience with the following tools:
• ELK Stack, Kibana, Suricata, Splunk, Snort, Wireshark, Bro/Zeek logs, tcpdump, editcap, LogRhythm, ePo/HBSS, ACAS, SolarWinds, Microsoft Office 365, Active Directory WMIC commands.
• Cybersecurity Service Provider (CSSP) experience is preferred.
• Familiarity with Space Operations is highly desired.
• Eight (8)+ years of relevant cybersecurity experience
• IAT Level III Certification required IAW DoD 8570.07-M. Qualifying certifications include: CASP+ CE, CCNP Security, CISA, CISSP (or Associate), GCED, GCIH, CCSP