Certification: GCUX

GIAC Certified UNIX Security Administrator (GCUX)

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Description

GIAC Certified UNIX System Administrators (GCUXs) have the knowledge, skills and abilities to secure and audit UNIX and Linux systems.

Target

Individuals responsible for installing, configuring, and monitoring UNIX and/or Linux systems.

Course

Preparing for the GCUX Exam: Candidates may choose to prepare for the GCUX exam by taking the SANS Training Course: SEC506: Securing Linux/Unix

*No Specific training is required for any GIAC certification. If candidates need help in mastering the objectives for this certification, there are many sources of information available. Practical experience is one option; there are also numerous books on the market covering Computer Information Security. Another option is SANS training, or any relevant courses from other training providers.*

Requirements

• 1 proctored exam
• 75 questions
• Time limit of 2 hours
• Minimum Passing Score of 65.3%

Renew

Certifications must be renewed every 4 years. Click here for details.

Delivery

NOTE: GIAC exams are NOT given the day after the conference ends.

Exams are delivered online through a standard web browser. For exams purchased with SANS training, access to the exam will be available 7-10 days following the end of the conference. Certification attempt exams are issued within 24 hours upon receipt of payment. You will receive an email from GIAC when your exam has been issued to your portal account. You have 120 days to complete the exam from the time we send notice that it is available. The exams are proctored and should be scheduled using our proctored exam procedure.

Links

• Certified Professionals (GCUX)
• Recertification
• Exam Feedback Procedure
• Grievance Procedure
• Proctored exam procedure
• SANS Information Security Reading Room

Bulletin (Part 2 of Candidate Handbook)

Exam Certification Objectives & Outcome Statements

The topic areas for each exam part follow:

AIDE

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to configure AIDE and utilize it to detect intrusions.

Apache

The candidate will be able to demonstrate an understanding of how to securely setup and configure an Apache server

Best Practices for Kernel Tuning and Warning Banners

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to implement best-practice configurations for kernel parameters and warning banners.

Boot Services

The candidate will be able to demonstrate an understanding of disabling unnecessary services at boot time

Chroot()

The candidate will understand chroot() strengths and weaknesses, how to configure services in a chroot() environment and how to configure scponly with chroot().

DNS- BIND

The candidate will understand DNS and be able to implement best practices for secure BIND configuration.

DNSSec

The candidate will demonstrate a fundamental understanding of DNSSec and how it provides increased security over DNS.

Evidence Collection and Preservation

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to collect evidence from compromised hosts and maintain the chain of custody in a forensically sound manner.

Forensic Analysis

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to conduct rudimentary forensic analysis on images of compromised systems.

Forensic Preparation and Incident Handling

The candidate will demonstrate understanding of the IR process as well as preparations and planning especially where forensics is concerned.

Host Based Firewalls - iptables

The candidate will demonstrate an understanding of firewall configuration in general and basic iptables commands used to create a host based firewall.

Intro to Forensics

The candidate will demonstrate an understanding of the forensic process and fundamental forensic concepts.

OS Install and Patching

The candidate will demonstrate an under standing of secure OS installation options and patching techniques.

Physical, User Account, and Password Access Control

The candidate will demonstrate an understanding of physical security issues and fundamental user account/password security with respect to Linux/Unix systems.

Se Linux

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to use basic SELinux commands understand how SELinux can be used to create and enforce a security policy

Sendmail

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to set-up and configure sendmail securely.

SSH

The candidate will be able to securely configure SSH to perform numerous Unix security/sysadmin tasks

Stack Smashing

The candidate will understand how traditional memory based attacks work.

Sudo

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to configure sudo for access control in Linux/Unix environments.

Syslog-NG

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to configure a centralized logging server using syslog-ng.

Unix Logging

The candidate will understand how to configure logging features native to Unix environments.

Where to Get Help

Training is available from a variety of resources including on line, course attendance at a live conference, and self study.

Practical experience is another way to ensure that you have mastered the skills necessary for certification. Many professionals have the experience to meet the certification objectives identified.

Finally, college level courses or study through another program may meet the needs for mastery.

The procedure to contest exam results can be found at http://www.giac.org/about/procedures/grievance.