🚨 Welcome to Episode 2 of the Everyday Cyber Podcast with your host Alex Reid – where we go deep into real-world defensive security practices and the essential skills needed in a modern Security Operations Center (SOC).

In this episode, we break down efficient alert triage, the science of email-based threat detection, and how structured analytics like Sigma rules, deny lists, allow lists, and new term rules can dramatically improve your ability to detect and respond to cyber threats.

🔍 What you'll learn in this episode:

• How data enrichment increases alert fidelity

• The role of "features" in building security analytics

• Alert tuning using the Pareto Principle (80/20 rule)

• Deny lists vs. allow lists — strengths and weaknesses

• First-contact rules (New Term Rules) and how they work

• Overview of Sigma and how it helps standardize SIEM analytics

• Anatomy of a Sigma rule: metadata, log source, detection, condition

• How to improve SOC morale and reduce burnout

• Network layer disruption strategies: Layer 3, 4, and 7 blocking

• Why a home lab is your secret weapon for mastering company-scale monitoring

Whether you’re a SOC analyst, blue teamer, or aspiring cybersecurity pro, this episode gives you advanced yet accessible insights to level up your detection engineering, automation mindset, and operational efficiency.