MattCASmith

The SANS Cyber Retraining Academy concludes this week, but before graduation there was time for students to take one last GIAC examination to assess our incident handling skills.

I’d already passed the GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC) exam with 94 per cent a few weeks ago, but I was more nervous going into the GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) exam, as although I had passed the practice tests they had proven to be more challenging.

However, after a gruelling first few questions (at least it felt like they were to me) I settled into a good rhythm, and when it came to the final question I didn’t even hesitate to click Submit and see my score. My confidence turned out to be justified – I’d passed with 91 per cent.

The pressure’s now off, at least for this week. We’ll now be completing the SANS SEC580 course, which goes into more depth on Metasploit, before the graduation day on Friday. I’ve really enjoyed the academy and very much hope I’ll have the chance to study with SANS again in future, because their materials, instructors, and support have all been fantastic.

I’ve learnt a ton of new stuff over the last couple of months. I’ve always been fairly technical and I’d been reporting on cyber security for nearly four years prior to the course, but my GSEC and GCIH studies have really helped me to get a firm grasp on concepts I previously only vaguely knew about, giving me knowledge that could be put into action to secure a business.

After ten weeks of having our brains pumped full of new information, it’s nearly time to rejoin the real world. For me, that means finding a job in cyber security in London, so if you’re hiring – or you know someone who is – please do get in touch and let me know!