Announcing the SANS 5th Annual Log Management Survey: A Leading Source for Actionable Data on Key Issues and Trends.
Please take a moment to complete our survey.
the most trusted source for computer security training, certification and research


select a course
Global Information Assurance Certification

This is the real deal - no fluff!
-Nancy Rice, Capital Blue Cross

SECURITY 401

SANS Security Essentials Bootcamp Style

8 CPE/Days 1-5, 6 CPE/Day 6

Please note that some course material for SEC 401 and MGT 512 may overlap. We recommend SEC 401 for those interested in a more technical course of study, and MGT 512 for those primarily interested in a leadership-oriented but less technical learning experience.
This course prepares you for the GSEC certification which meets the requirement of the DoD 8570 IAT Level 2.

Maximize your training time and turbo-charge your career in security by learning the full SANS Security Essentials curriculum needed to qualify for the GSEC certification. In this course you will learn the language and underlying theory of computer security. At the same time you will learn the essential, up-to-the-minute knowledge and skills required for effective performance if you are given the responsibility for securing systems and/or organizations. This course meets both of the key promises SANS makes to our students: (1) You will gain up-to-the-minute knowledge you can put into practice immediately upon returning to work; and, (2) You will be taught by the best security instructors in the industry. As always, great teaching sets SANS courses apart, and SANS ensures this by choosing instructors who have ranked highest in a nine-year competition among potential security faculty.

SPECIAL NOTE: This course is endorsed by the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) NSTISSI 4013 Standard for Systems Administrators in Information Systems Security (INFOSEC).

Test your security knowledge with our SANS Security Essentials Assessment Test. Get your free test at https://portal.sans.org/assessments/

  • Who Should Attend
    • Security Professionals who want to fill the gaps in their understanding of technical information security
    • Managers who want to understand information security beyond simple terminology and concepts
    • Anyone new to information security with some background in information systems and networking
  • SANS Security Essentials Course Topics
    • Risk Assessment and Auditing
    • Host and Network Based Intrusion Detection
    • Honeypots, Firewalls and Perimeter Protection
    • Security Policy
    • Password Management
    • Security Incident Handling - The Six Steps
    • Information Warfare
    • Web Security
    • Network Fundamentals and IP Concepts and Behavior
    • Cisco Router Filters
    • Four Primary Threats for Perimeter Protection
    • PGP, Steganography
    • Anti-Viral Tools
    • Windows (2000, XP, 2003, Vista) Security Administration and Auditing
    • IIS Security
    • Unix Security Fundamentals
Author Statement

One of the things I love to hear from students after teaching Security 401 is "I have worked in security for many years and after taking this course I realized how much I did not know." With the latest version of Security Essentials and the Bootcamp, we have really captured the critical aspects of security and enhanced those topics with examples to drive home the key points. After attending Security 401, I am confident you will walk away with solutions to problems you have had for a while plus solutions to problems you did not even know you had.
- Eric Cole

Dr. Eric Cole on YouTube — Introducing Security Essentials

SECURITY 401 :: SANS Security Essentials Bootcamp Style
SANS 2009 Orlando, FL March 01, 2009 - March 09, 2009
SANS Security East 2009 New Orleans, LA May 04, 2009 - May 12, 2009
SANSFIRE 2009 Baltimore, MD June 13, 2009 - June 22, 2009
SANS Security West 2009 Las Vegas, NV January 24, 2009 - February 01, 2009
Community SANS Los Angeles 2009 Los Angeles, CA February 16, 2009 - February 21, 2009
SANS Phoenix 2009 Phoenix, AZ March 23, 2009 - March 30, 2009
Mentor Session - Security 401 Pittsburgh, PA February 24, 2009 - April 28, 2009
SANS Tysons Corner 2009 Tysons Corner, VA April 14, 2009 - April 22, 2009
Mentor Session - Security 401 St. Paul, MN January 20, 2009 - March 24, 2009
SANS Dublin 2009 Dublin, Ireland March 09, 2009 - March 14, 2009
Mentor Session - Security 401 Tampa, FL January 20, 2009 - March 24, 2009
Mentor Session - Security 401 San Francisco, CA June 15, 2009 - June 25, 2009
SANS Calgary 2009 Calgary, AB April 14, 2009 - April 19, 2009
Mentor Session - Security 401 Boise, ID February 17, 2009 - April 21, 2009
Mentor Session - Security 401 Huntsville, AL February 10, 2009 - April 14, 2009
Mentor Session - Security 401 Kalamazoo, MI February 03, 2009 - April 07, 2009
EU Mentor Session - Security 401 Frankfurt, Germany January 14, 2009 - March 18, 2009
Community SANS Atlanta 2009 Atlanta, GA February 02, 2009 - February 07, 2009
Community SANS San Jose 2009 San Jose, CA April 20, 2009 - April 25, 2009
Community SANS Boston 2009 Boston , MA March 23, 2009 - March 28, 2009
Community SANS Honolulu 2009 Honolulu, HI March 16, 2009 - March 21, 2009
Mentor Session - Security 401 Lima, Peru October 17, 2009 - December 19, 2009
Mentor Sesion: Security 401 New York, NY April 07, 2009 - June 09, 2009
Mentor Session: Security 401 Mawson Lakes, Australia January 20, 2009 - March 24, 2009
Mentor Sesion: Security 401 Colorado Springs, CO February 10, 2009 - April 14, 2009
Mentor Session - Security 401 Ottawa, ON April 09, 2009 - June 11, 2009
EU SEC401 Canary Wharf London, United Kingdom April 04, 2009 - June 27, 2009
SANS Secure Europe 2009 - Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands May 11, 2009 - May 23, 2009
SANS@Home - Security 401 - Cole/Misner Webcast Classroom Training, VA June 04, 2009 - August 20, 2009
SANS@Home - Security 401 - Cole/Misner Webcast Classroom Training, VA September 03, 2009 - November 19, 2009
Mentor Session - Security 401 Chicago, IL March 10, 2009 - May 12, 2009
Mentor Session - Security 401 Melbourne, Australia March 24, 2009 - May 26, 2009
SANS@Home - Security 401P - Seth Misenar Webcast Classroom Training, VA January 15, 2009 - January 15, 2009
Mentor Session - Security 401 Reno, NV April 21, 2009 - June 23, 2009
SANS OnDemand Online Training & Assessments Anytime
SANS SelfStudy Books and .MP3s Only Anytime