GIAC | Global Information Assurance Certification
The SANS Institute's law & investigations course series LEGAL-523 is associated with a GIAC cert, called GIAC Legal (GLEG).
Over 600 proud professionals hold or have held this unique certification as of September 2014.
Numerous LinkedIn members, like information assurance professional Joel Baese, list GLEG certification on their profiles.
Credentials for Investigators
Increasingly, as more evidence of human activity is captured digitally, infosec professionals are expected to conduct investigations. "Investigator" is becoming a key part of their job description. The LEGAL-523 course series (supported by the GLEG) teaches these professionals the skill set to execute competent, defensible investigations.
You don’t know how important something is until you are about to lose it. Late 2009 GIAC decided to discontinue the GLEG for economic reasons. But that caused an uproar when I taught the LEGAL 523 course in December. Fortunately GIAC reconsidered and changed its mind. When we delivered LEGAL 523 in March 2010, a record-setting number of students (~15) signed up to take the GLEG, which was a pleasant surprise to GIAC!
The law of information security and cyberforensic investigations is challenging . . . and developing rapidly. Many employers want their professionals to possess training on the topic, and the GLEG confirms that training. It shows that a student did more than register for a class; it shows the student studied and mastered the material. Also, some LEG523 students say they want the certification because it enhances their credibility as expert (forensic or otherwise) witnesses in a courtroom or in an investigation.
GIAC as World Leader
I’d be happy to hear comments and answer questions about the GLEG certification or GIAC in general. GIAC offers certification in many fields of IT security, e.g., Windows security GCWN.
News: SANS Masters Degrees in cybersecurity are now accredited.
By: Benjamin Wright, Senior SANS Instructor who developed and teaches LEGAL 523: The Law of Data Security and Investigations. See comments about the SANS Legal 523 course.
Postscript: A topic of growing impact in the Legal 523 course is ethics for IT security and forensics professionals.
Update 2014 on SANS Institute's Legal 523 course.
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