GIAC Adds Three More Hands-on, Technical Certifications to Their List of ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024 Accredited Credentials

BETHESDA, Md., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) program, a SANS Institute affiliate, announced today that the GIAC Certified Forensics Analyst (GCFA), GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA) and GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) have been accredited under the ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024 Personnel Certification program. GIAC is leading the way in the information security industry with five ANSI accredited credentials.

GCFA, GCIA and GCIH are unique certifications in the information security industry because they ensure certification holders develop deep, technical, hands-on skills. Furthermore, these certifications demonstrate that certification holders actually possess real knowledge related to forensics, intrusion detection, and incident handling. The high demand for these three GIAC credentials prove that employers place a high value on this combination of skills and knowledge.

GCFA is the leading vendor-neutral digital forensic certification. GCFA recipients prove they have a firm understanding of computer forensics tools and techniques to investigate data breach intrusions, tech-savvy rogue employees, nation state threats, and complex digital forensic cases. Sophisticated attackers advance rapidly through networks using advances in spear phishing, web application attacks, and persistent malware. Forensic investigators must master a variety of operating systems, investigation techniques, incident response tactics, and even legal issues in order to solve challenging cases. The GCFA provides a foundation for critical forensic analysis techniques for solving complex Windows- and Linux-based investigations. In addition, an alarming trend has developed in several states regarding legislation of licensing of digital forensic specialists as private investigators without regard to digital forensics qualifications. The GCFA will set apart a true professional from the untrained amateur. Due to the in-depth competency requirements of a digital forensic specialist, a professional will desire to show that they have had their skills tested and accredited.

The GCIA is the only certification of its kind for security professionals. Today, prudent organizations deploy some type of intrusion detection and these complicated systems are only as good as the analysts that manage them. GCIA holders have a complete understanding of network protocols, traffic and network theory, including normal and malicious fragmentation, abnormal stimulus response, and TCP/IP fundamentals. They are familiar with attacks against NIDS, computer systems and the network infrastructure and are able to analyze common network traffic patterns and dig into packets in order to assess what is really happening on the network. A GCIA professional is competent to manage any Intrusion Detection System.

GCIH is the most highly regarded incident handling certification in the field. An organization needs only an Internet connection or a single disgruntled employee to be attacked. From the thousands of daily probes to the malicious insider slowly creeping through vital information, attackers are targeting systems with increasing viciousness and stealth. GCIH holders have the skills and abilities to manage these incidents, to understand common attack techniques and tools, and to defend against and/or respond to such attacks when they occur. They are prepared to respond to a wide variety of security incidents, ranging from unintentional internal security violations at the smallest of companies to major international incidents involving governments and Fortune 100 enterprises. GCIH holders have mastered incident handling methodology and are equipped with the most current tools and techniques required to respond to any incident.

ANSI accreditation is important because it affirms that the GIAC program and certification development processes meet international quality requirements. ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024 accreditation helps certification holders and organizations differentiate quality and meaningful certifications from other offerings. Defining a set of established credentials improves practices within the information security industry as well as increases the integrity, confidence, and mobility of certified professionals.

To learn more about the GCFA, GCIA, GCIH, and the GIAC program or to see a complete list of GIAC certifications, visit http://www.giac.org/info/30598.

About GIAC. Founded in 1999, the Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC)

(http://www.giac.org/info/30598) provides IT security professionals with certification in the areas of security administration, management, operations, legal, audit, and software security. GIAC has certified over 28,000 IT security professionals and assures and validates that certified individuals have practical awareness, knowledge, and skills in key areas of computer, network, and software security. Its certifications are trusted by thousands of companies and government agencies, including the United States National Security Agency (NSA).

SANS (http://www.sans.org/info/30603) was established in 1989 as a cooperative research and education organization. Its programs reach more than 165,000 security professionals, auditors, system administrators, and network administrators who share the lessons they are learning and jointly find solutions to the challenges they face. At the heart of SANS are the many security practitioners in government agencies, corporations, and universities around the world who invest hundreds of hours each year in research and teaching to help the entire information security community.

www.giac.org

SOURCE SANS Institute