SEC504 helps you develop the skills to conduct incident response investigations. You will learn how to apply a dynamic incident response process to evolving cyber threats, and how to develop threat intelligence to mount effective defense strategies for cloud and on-premises platforms. We'll examine the latest threats to organizations, from watering hole attacks to cloud application service MFA bypass, enabling you to get into the mindset of attackers and anticipate their moves. SEC504 gives you the information you need to understand how attackers scan, exploit, pivot, and establish persistence in cloud and conventional systems. To help you develop retention and long-term recall of the course material, 50 percent of class time is spent on hands-on exercises, using visual association tools to break down complex topics. This course prepares you to conduct cyber investigations and will boost your career by helping you develop these in-demand skills.
30+ Hands-on Labs.
What You Will Learn
The goal of modern cloud and on-premises systems is to prevent compromise, but the reality is that detection and response are critical. Keeping your organization out of the breach headlines depends on how well incidents are handled to minimize loss to the company.
In SEC504, you will learn how to apply a dynamic approach to incident response. Using indicators of compromise, you will practice the steps to effectively respond to breaches affecting Windows, Linux, and cloud platforms. You will be able to take the skills and hands-on experience gained in the course back to the office and apply them immediately.
A big focus in SEC504 is applying what you learn with hands-on exercises: 50% of the course is hands-on where you will attack, defend, and assess the damage done by threat actors. You will work with complex network environments, real-world host platforms and applications, and complex data sets that mirror the kind of work you may be asked to do. You never lose access to the lab exercises, and they can be repeated as often as you like. All lab exercises come with detailed walkthrough video content to help reinforce the learning concepts in the course.
Understanding the steps to effectively conduct incident response is only one part of the equation. To fully grasp the actions attackers take against an organization, from initial compromise to internal network pivoting, you also need to understand their tools and techniques. In the hands-on environment provided by SEC504, you will use the tools of the attackers themselves in order to understand how they are applied and the artifacts the attackers leave behind. By getting into the mindset of attackers, you will learn how they apply their trade against your organization, and you will be able to use that insight to anticipate their moves and build better defenses.
Business Takeaways:
- Apply a dynamic approach to incident response
- Identify threats using host, network, and log analysis
- Best practices for effective cloud incident response
- Leverage PowerShell for data collection and cyber threat analysis
- Cyber investigation processes using live analysis, network insight, and memory forensics
- Defense spotlight strategies to protect critical assets
- How attackers leverage cloud systems against organizations
- Attacker techniques to evade endpoint detection tools
- How attackers exploit complex cloud vulnerabilities
- Attacker steps for internal discovery and lateral movement after an initial compromise
- How attackers exploit publicly-accessible systems including Microsoft 365
What you will receive:
- Unlimited access to all hands-on exercises that never expires
- Printed and electronic course books and a hands-on workbook
- MP3 audio files of the entire course
- Perpetual access to all hands-on lab exercises
- Detailed video walkthroughs for all lab exercises
- Visual association maps to break down complex material
- A digital index for quick-reference to all material
- Bonus content and hands-on exercises to develop your skills beyond the course
- Essential cheat sheets for tools and complex analysis tasks
GIAC Certified Incident Handler
The GIAC Incident Handler (GCIH) certification validates a practitioner's ability to detect, respond, and resolve computer security incidents using a wide range of essential security skills. GCIH certification holders have the knowledge needed to manage security incidents by understanding common attack techniques, vectors and tools, as well as defend against and respond to such attacks when they occur.
- Incident Handling and Computer Crime Investigation
- Computer and Network Hacker Exploits
- Hacker Tools (Nmap, Metasploit and Netcat)
Laptop Requirements
Important! Bring your own system configured according to these instructions.
A properly configured system is required to fully participate in this course. If you do not carefully read and follow these instructions, you will not be able to fully participate in hands-on exercises in your course. Therefore, please arrive with a system meeting all of the specified requirements.
Back up your system before class. Better yet, use a system without any sensitive/critical data. SANS is not responsible for your system or data.
MANDATORY SEC504 SYSTEM HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
- CPU: 64-bit Intel i5/i7 (8th generation or newer), or AMD equivalent. A x64 bit, 2.0+ GHz or newer processor is mandatory for this class.
- CRITICAL: Apple systems using the M1/M2 processor line cannot perform the necessary virtualization functionality and therefore cannot in any way be used for this course.
- BIOS settings must be set to enable virtualization technology, such as "Intel-VTx" or "AMD-V" extensions. Be absolutely certain you can access your BIOS if it is password protected, in case changes are necessary.
- 16GB of RAM or more is required.
- 100GB of free storage space or more is required.
- At least one available USB 3.0 Type-A port. A Type-C to Type-A adapter may be necessary for newer laptops. Some endpoint protection software prevents the use of USB devices, so test your system with a USB drive before class.
- Wireless networking (802.11 standard) is required. There is no wired Internet access in the classroom.
MANDATORY SEC504 HOST CONFIGURATION AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
- Your host operating system must be the latest version of Windows 10, Windows 11, or macOS 10.15.x or newer.
- Fully update your host operating system prior to the class to ensure you have the right drivers and patches installed.
- Linux hosts are not supported in the classroom due to their numerous variations. If you choose to use Linux as your host, you are solely responsible for configuring it to work with the course materials and/or VMs.
- Local Administrator Access is required. (Yes, this is absolutely required. Don't let your IT team tell you otherwise.) If your company will not permit this access for the duration of the course, then you should make arrangements to bring a different laptop.
- You should ensure that antivirus or endpoint protection software is disabled, fully removed, or that you have the administrative privileges to do so. Many of our courses require full administrative access to the operating system and these products can prevent you from accomplishing the labs.
- Any filtering of egress traffic may prevent accomplishing the labs in your course. Firewalls should be disabled or you must have the administrative privileges to disable it.
- Download and install VMware Workstation Pro 16.2.X+ or VMware Player 16.2.X+ (for Windows 10 hosts), VMware Workstation Pro 17.0.0+ or VMware Player 17.0.0+ (for Windows 11 hosts), or VMWare Fusion Pro 12.2+ or VMware Fusion Player 11.5+ (for macOS hosts) prior to class beginning. If you do not own a licensed copy of VMware Workstation Pro or VMware Fusion Pro, you can download a free 30-day trial copy from VMware. VMware will send you a time-limited serial number if you register for the trial at their website. Also note that VMware Workstation Player offers fewer features than VMware Workstation Pro. For those with Windows host systems, Workstation Pro is recommended for a more seamless student experience.
- On Windows hosts, VMware products might not coexist with the Hyper-V hypervisor. For the best experience, ensure VMware can boot a virtual machine. This may require disabling Hyper-V. Instructions for disabling Hyper-V, Device Guard, and Credential Guard are contained in the setup documentation that accompanies your course materials.
- Download and install 7-Zip (for Windows Hosts) or Keka (for macOS hosts). These tools are also included in your downloaded course materials.
Your course media is delivered via download. The media files for class can be large. Many are in the 40-50GB range, with some over 100GB. You need to allow plenty of time for the download to complete. Internet connections and speed vary greatly and are dependent on many different factors. Therefore, it is not possible to give an estimate of the length of time it will take to download your materials. Please start your course media downloads as soon as you get the link. You will need your course media immediately on the first day of class. Do not wait until the night before class to start downloading these files.
AFTER COMPLITING THIS COURSE, YOU CAN GO TO GET A JOB AND GET A REAL MONEY.
