www.giac.org




Computer Security Certifications by GIAC - Program Overview

GIAC (Global Information Assurance Certification) was founded in 1999 to validate the skills of computer security professionals. The purpose of GIAC is to provide assurance that a certified individual has the knowledge and skills necessary for a practitioner in key areas of computer, information and software security. GIAC certifications are trusted by thousands of companies and government agencies, including the United States National Security Agency (NSA).

GIAC certifications address a range of skill sets including entry level information security and broad based security essentials, as well as advanced subject areas like audit, intrusion detection, incident handling, firewalls and perimeter protection, forensics, hacker techniques, and Windows and Unix operating system security and secure software and application coding. GIAC certifications are unique because they measure specific skills and knowledge areas rather than general computer security knowledge. Although there are other entry level certifications available, GIAC offers the only computer security certifications that cover advanced technical subject areas.

GIAC certifications are valid for four years. Students must review new course information and retake the exams every four years in order to remain certified. Different education and certification tracks are available for security, audit, management, operations, legal departments, and software security.

Program Growth

GIAC was the first true technical computer security certification. The first GIAC professionals were certified in February of 2000, and just under 1,000 candidates were certified in our first year alone. As of March, 2002, we had certified over 3,000 individuals and as of today there are currently 26,298 certified professionals

There are no prerequisites required to begin any of the GIAC certification attempts, however we highly recommend taking a training course before your test. Even experienced computer security professionals will benefit from a review of various subject areas before the exam. Certification attempts have a 4 month access window, giving candidates adequate time to prepare for the certification exam.

If you're ready to sign up for a certification exam, follow the instructions below:

  1. Click the following link to go to the signup page: https://www.sans.org/registration/register.php?conferenceid=1251
  2. Fill in your payment information and select the certification attempt you wish to register for. Shortly afterwards submitting your registration form, you will receive an email confirming your order and providing details on the certification attempt process.
  3. Check the box next to your desired certification, and scroll to the bottom of the page. Click "Proceed".
  4. Fill in your payment information and complete the process. You will receive a confirmation email shortly with details on how you can take the exam.
Number of certified professionals: 26,298
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