Reference books for SOC Analysts (Security Operations Center roles), focusing on practical skills like alert triage, incident detection/response, network monitoring, threat hunting, SIEM usage, and general blue team operations.

These recommendations draw from community favorites (e.g., Reddit, cybersecurity forums), recent 2024–2025 lists, and resources frequently cited by practitioners and MSSPs. I’ve grouped them by focus level and included brief reasons why they’re valuable.

Foundational / Must-Have References (Great for Tier 1–2 Analysts)

1. Blue Team Handbook: Incident Response Edition by Don Murdoch A compact, tactical field guide used by many SOC teams for quick reference during incidents. Covers IR steps, checklists, and real-world blue team actions.
2. Blue Team Field Manual (BTFM) by Alan J. White and Ben Clark Pocket-sized reference packed with commands, tools, and procedures for detection, response, and recovery. Often compared to a “blue team cheat sheet” and aligns with NIST functions.
3. Blue Team Handbook: SOC, SIEM, and Threat Hunting Use Cases by Don Murdoch — extremely practical for modern SOCs — focuses on building/optimizing operations, SIEM tuning, telemetry, detection engineering, and threat-hunting playbooks. Frequently praised as a go-to for new analysts and MSSP onboarding.

Core Technical Skills (Detection & Analysis)

4. Applied Network Security Monitoring: Collection, Detection, and Analysis (or The Practice of Network Security Monitoring) by Chris Sanders (and Richard Bejtlich in earlier editions). The definitive guide to NSM — teaches how to monitor networks effectively, use tools like Zeek/Security Onion, and detect intrusions via logs and packets. Essential for understanding what you’re actually seeing in alerts.
5. Practical Packet Analysis: Using Wireshark to Solve Real-World Network Problems (3rd Edition) by Chris Sanders. Hands-on Wireshark mastery — critical for SOC analysts investigating network-based alerts and anomalies.
6. Practical Malware Analysis: The Hands-On Guide to Dissecting Malicious Software by Michael Sikorski and Andrew Honi.g Excellent for learning to reverse and understand malware samples that land in your queue. Builds skills needed when escalating from alert to deep analysis.

Career & Modern SOC Focus

7. Jump-start Your SOC Analyst Career: A Roadmap to Cybersecurity Success (2nd Edition) by Tyler Wall and Jarrett Rodrick. Award-winning (2024 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards) practical guide for beginners → intermediate analysts. Covers day-to-day workflows, the “SOC Analyst Method,” the use of AI tools like ChatGPT in investigations, and career progression.
8. The Modern Security Operations Center by Joseph Muniz et al. Comprehensive look at building, running, and maturing a SOC — people, processes, technology, and future trends.

Bonus Strong Mentions

• Effective Threat Investigation for SOC Analysts (Packt) — Focused on common threats, attacker TTPs, and investigation techniques.
• TLDR+ SOC: Logs, Alerts, and Triage for Analysts — Very concise, hands-on triage and log/alert focused guide for L1/L2 analysts.

Start with the Blue Team Handbooks (they’re short, cheap, and immediately usable on the job), then move to Applied NSM and Practical Packet Analysis for deeper technical depth. If you’re new to the role or transitioning in, grab Jump-Start Your SOC Analyst Career first — it’s very career-oriented and up-to-date (including AI usage in SOCs).

Many SOCs provide these as onboarding resources or reference them in training. Pair reading with hands-on labs (Security Onion, TryHackMe SOC paths, LetsDefend, etc.) to get the most value.