The GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) certification is designed to validate a practitioner's ability to detect, respond, and resolve computer security incidents. This article shares my personal experience preparing for and taking the exam.
Certification Overview
The GCIH certification focuses on understanding incident handling, common attack techniques, and the incident response process. It covers a wide range of topics from initial preparation through containment, eradication, and recovery.
Preparation Strategy
My preparation involved a combination of hands-on lab work, studying the SANS course materials, and practicing with sample questions.
- •Understanding the six steps of the incident handling process
- •Analyzing attack vectors and common exploitation techniques
- •Practicing with live malware samples in a controlled environment
- •Creating an effective incident response plan
Exam Experience
The exam consists of 150 questions to be completed in 4 hours. The questions are scenario-based and practical, often requiring you to analyze logs, identify attack patterns, and determine appropriate response actions.
Key Takeaways
The most valuable insights I gained from this certification process include:
- •The importance of documenting every step of the incident response process
- •How to effectively contain an incident while preserving evidence
- •Techniques for identifying indicators of compromise across different systems
- •The value of proper post-incident analysis to prevent future breaches
Recommendation
I highly recommend the GCIH certification for security professionals looking to specialize in incident handling. The hands-on approach and practical scenarios provide valuable skills that are immediately applicable in real-world security operations.