Founded | 1999 |
---|---|
Type | for-profit |
Focus | Cybersecurity, Information Security, Software Security |
Area served | Worldwide |
Services | Professional Certifications |
Owner | SANS |
Website | www.giac.org |
Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) is an information security certification entity that specializes in technical and practical certification as well as new research in the form of its GIAC Gold program. SANS Institute founded the certification entity in 1999 and the term GIAC is trademarked by The Escal Institute of Advanced Technologies.
GIAC provides a set of vendor-neutral computer security certifications linked to the training courses provided by the SANS. GIAC is specific to the leading edge technological advancement of IT security in order to keep ahead of "black hat" techniques. Papers written by individuals pursuing GIAC certifications are presented at the SANS Reading Room on GIAC's website.
Initially all SANS GIAC certifications required a written paper or "practical" on a specific area of the certification in order to achieve the certification. In April 2005, the SANS organization changed the format of the certification by breaking it into two separate levels. The "silver" level certification is achieved upon completion of a multiple choice exam. The "gold" level certification can be obtained by completing a research paper and has the silver level as a prerequisite.
As of August 27, 2022, GIAC has granted 173,822 certifications worldwide. [1]
Certifications listed as 'unavailable' are not listed in official SANS or GIAC sources, and are found elsewhere. They are not the same as retired courses. [2]
Code | Name | Associated SANS Course [3] | Status |
---|---|---|---|
GFACT | GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies | SEC275 | |
GISF | GIAC Information Security Fundamentals | SEC301 | |
GSEC | GIAC Security Essentials Certification | SEC401 | |
GSOC | GIAC Security Operations Certified | SEC450 | |
GOSI | GIAC Open Source Intelligence | SEC487 | |
GCED | GIAC Certified Enterprise Defender | SEC501 | |
GCIA | GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst | SEC503 | |
GCWN | GIAC Certified Windows Security Administrator | SEC505 | |
GMON | GIAC Continuous Monitoring Certification | SEC511 | |
GDSA | GIAC Defensible Security Architecture | SEC530 | |
GCDA | GIAC Certified Detection Analyst | SEC555 | |
GCCC | GIAC Critical Controls Certification [4] | SEC566 | |
GDAT | GIAC Defending Advanced Threats | SEC599 | |
GSIP | GIAC Secure Internet Presence | SEC615 [5] | Unavailable |
GSOC | GIAC Securing Oracle Certification | Retired |
Code | Name | Associated SANS Course | Status |
---|---|---|---|
GEVA | GIAC Enterprise Vulnerability Assessor | SEC460 | |
GCIH | GIAC Certified Incident Handler | SEC504 | |
GWAPT | GIAC Certified Web Application Penetration Tester | SEC542 | |
GPEN | GIAC Penetration Tester | SEC560 | |
GCPN | GIAC Cloud Penetration Tester | SEC588 | |
GPYC | GIAC Python Coder | SEC573 | |
GMOB | GIAC Mobile Device Security Analyst | SEC575 | |
GAWN | GIAC Assessing Wireless Networks | SEC617 | |
GXPN | GIAC Exploit Researcher and Advanced Penetration Tester | SEC660 |
Code | Name | Associated SANS Course | Status |
---|---|---|---|
GSAE | GIAC Security Audit Essentials | AUD410 [6] | Unavailable |
G7799 | GIAC Certified ISO-17799 Specialist | AUD411 [7] | Unavailable |
GSNA | GIAC Systems and Network Auditor | AUD507 | |
GISP | GIAC Information Security Professional | MGT414 | |
GSLC | GIAC Security Leadership Certification | MGT512 | |
GSOM | GIAC Security Operations Manager | MGT552 | |
GCSC | GIAC Certified Security Consultant | MGT513 [8] | Unavailable |
GSTRT | GIAC Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership | MGT514 | |
GCPM | GIAC Certified Project Manager | MGT525 | |
GLEG | GIAC Legal Issues | Abeyance | |
G2700 | GIAC Certified ISO-27000 Specialist | Retired |
Code | Name | Status |
---|---|---|
GOEC [ citation needed ] | GIAC Operations Essentials Certification | Retired |
Code | Name | Associated SANS Course | Status |
---|---|---|---|
GWEB | GIAC Certified Web Application Defender | SEC522 | formally DEV522 [9] |
GPCS | GIAC Public Cloud Security | SEC510 | |
GCSA | GIAC Cloud Security Automation | SEC540 | |
GNET | GIAC .Net | Retired | |
GSSP C | GIAC Secure Software Programmer C | Retired |
Code | Name | Associated SANS Course | Status |
---|---|---|---|
GBFA | GIAC Battlefield Forensics and Acquisition | FOR498 | |
GCFE | GIAC Certified Forensic Examiner | FOR500 | |
GCFA | GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst | FOR508 | |
GCFR | GIAC Cloud Forensics Responder | FOR509 | |
GIME | GIAC iOS & Mac Examiner | FOR518 | |
GNFA | GIAC Certified Network Forensic Analyst | FOR572 | |
GCTI | GIAC Cyber Threat Intelligence | FOR578 | |
GASF | GIAC Advanced Smartphone Forensics | FOR585 | |
GREM | GIAC Certified Reverse Engineering Malware | FOR610 |
Code | Name | Associated SANS Course | Status |
---|---|---|---|
GICSP | GIAC Global Industrial Cybersecurity Professional | ICS410 | |
GCIP | GIAC Critical Infrastructure Protection | ICS456 | |
GRID | GIAC Response and Industrial Defense | ICS515 |
Code | Name | Status |
---|---|---|
GSE | GIAC Security Expert | |
GSE-Malware | GIAC Security Expert in Malware | Retired [10] |
GSE-Compliance | GIAC Security Expert in Compliance | Retired [10] |
The following certifications are no longer issued.
Code | Name | Associated SANS Course | Status |
---|---|---|---|
GCUX | GIAC Certified UNIX Security Administrator | SEC506 | Unobtainable [11] |
GPPA | GIAC Certified Perimeter Protection Analyst | Unobtainable. [12] Formerly GCFW (Certified Firewall Analyst) | |
GSSP-JAVA | GIAC Secure Software Programmer Java | DEV541 | Unobtainable [13] |
GSSP-.NET | GIAC Secure Software Programmer .NET | DEV544 | Unobtainable [14] |
Security engineering is the process of incorporating security controls into an information system so that the controls become an integral part of the system’s operational capabilities. It is similar to other systems engineering activities in that its primary motivation is to support the delivery of engineering solutions that satisfy pre-defined functional and user requirements, but it has the added dimension of preventing misuse and malicious behavior. Those constraints and restrictions are often asserted as a security policy.
The SANS Institute is a private U.S. for-profit company founded in 1989 that specializes in information security, cybersecurity training, and selling certificates. Topics available for training include cyber and network defenses, penetration testing, incident response, digital forensics, and auditing. The information security courses are developed through a consensus process involving administrators, security managers, and information security professionals. The courses cover security fundamentals and technical aspects of information security. The institute has been recognized for its training programs and certification programs. Per 2021, SANS is the world’s largest cybersecurity research and training organization. SANS is an acronym for SysAdmin, Audit, Network, and Security.
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