Empower Cybersecurity Professionals to Master Advanced Forensics and Prove Their Expertise in Real-World Investigations
BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 17, 2024 -- GIAC Certifications, the leader in validating cybersecurity skills through rigorous and hands-on certifications, is excited to announce the global launch of its sixth Applied Knowledge (AK) Certification, the GIAC Experienced Forensics Examiner (GX-FE). This marks the second AK certification in the Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) domain, complementing the GX-FA, GIAC's first AK certification in DFIR, by focusing on forensic reconstruction to enable a complete understanding of system behavior after an incident.
In an increasingly complex environment where cybersecurity risks continue to grow, professionals need certifications beyond basic tool familiarity. The GX-FE certification stands out by pushing candidates to demonstrate their comprehensive, real-world forensic investigation skills under time constraints, simulating the pressures of an actual forensic examiner's job.
"The GX-FE certification really challenges digital forensics professionals to demonstrate advanced skills under real-world conditions," said Kathryn Hedley, Certified Instructor at SANS Institute. "This certification pushes practitioners beyond tool familiarity, requiring them to prove their ability to analyze complex evidence and deliver critical insights during high-pressure investigations."
Unlike certifications that focus on detecting malicious software or external intrusions, the GX-FE tasks practitioners with uncovering user actions and intent while reconstructing the behavior of a known entity based on digital evidence. This focus on human action and knowledge within system artifacts is critical for professionals involved in corporate policy violations, criminal investigations, or deep-dive analyses post-incident.
"With the GX-FE, cybersecurity professionals demonstrate the application of critical forensics skills to identify and interpret Windows host-based artifacts, as well as challenging them to think beyond basic analysis and apply critical thinking to understand and explain more complex scenarios," said Hedley. "This certification moves DFIR practitioners from simply understanding where evidence may be stored on a Windows system to confidently explaining what happened in that case, proving vital skills in digital forensic investigations."
Learn more about the GX-FE certification and how it can elevate your forensic investigation capabilities by visiting: https://www.giac.org/certifications/experienced-forensics-examiner-gxfe/.