The term “subsetting” might sound complicated, but it simply means choosing a part of a larger dataset. It’s a common task in cybersecurity, data analysis, and IT work. Being able to do this is crucial for analyzing information effectively.
๐ฃ What is Subsetting?
Subsetting involves filtering or extracting specific pieces of information from a larger dataset.
๐ Example:- If you have a list of 100 employees in a company and want to find only the names of employees in the IT Department, youโre creating a subset from the original list.
๐ฃ Why is Subsetting Important in Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity analysts handle vast amounts of logs, alerts, and system data. Without subsetting, youโd have to manually sift through everything, which is time-consuming and can lead to missing critical threats.
๐ธ It helps concentrate only on relevant data.
๐ธ It minimizes noise in investigations.
๐ธ It speeds up incident response.
To find your Windows computer’s operating system name and version without going through all details, you can use this command:
Win + R, type cmd, and press enter
type systeminfo
Notice the large amount of data.
systeminfo | findstr /B /C:”OS Name” /C:”OS Version”
You will see only two lines are shown.
๐ธ systeminfo- Shows full details about your computer (OS, memory, network, etcโฆ).
๐ธ | (pipe)- Sends the output of one command into another command.
๐ธ findstr- Searches for specific text in the output.
๐ธ /B- Matches only at the beginning of a line.
๐ธ /C:OS Name, /C:OS Version- Looks for exact lines containing OS Name or OS Version.
Instead of scrolling through 50+ lines of data, you will subset it to only the data you need.
Replacing os version with system boot time
systeminfo | findstr /B /C:”System Boot Time” /C:”OS Version”
๐ฃ Subsetting in Other Contexts
๐ธ Excel- Using filters to show only certain values.
๐ธ Databases- Running a query to retrieve only the relevant rows.
๐ธ Log Analysis- Filtering logs to see only failed login attempts.
๐ฃ Importance of Subsetting in Cybersecurity
๐ธ Speeds up threat detection- Avoid wasting time on irrelevant data.
๐ธ Improves accuracy- Focus only on essential data.
๐ธ Helps in compliance- Extract only required information for audits.
๐ธ Protects sensitive data- Share only necessary information.
Subsetting is like using a magnifying glass, it lets you focus on the exact data you need while ignoring the rest. For someone entering cybersecurity, learning subsetting will save time and enhance your analytical skills.
โก๏ธ Do check out the previous blog
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