GIAC Assessing and Auditing Wireless Networks Certification (GAWN)

Offensive Operations Certification Overview

GAWN validates a technologist's readiness to assess the security of wireless networks, including the tools and techniques used to evaluate their weaknesses.

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Overview
Exam Objectives
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Who It's For
FAQs

What Is the GAWN Certification?

The GIAC Assessing and Auditing Wireless Networks (GAWN) certification validates a technologist's readiness to assess the security of wireless networks. Holders have shown fluency in the techniques used to analyze wireless networks and their security mechanisms, and in the tools and techniques used to evaluate and exploit weaknesses. GAWN candidates understand how their tools operate and know the weaknesses in the protocols they evaluate.

By the numbers

2 hrs

Exam duration

Questions

70%

Min. passing score

What GAWN Covers

GIAC publishes 16 exam objectives for GAWN. They group into five practical domains, which map to Sections 1 through 5 of SEC617. Section 6 is a Capture the Flag event that applies skills from all five.

Wi-Fi Analysis and Detection

Covers Wireless Basics, Sniffing Wireless, and Rogue Networks: current wireless standards and threats, capturing wireless traffic, and identifying and protecting against rogue networks.

Wi-Fi Attack Techniques

Covers Hotspots, Wireless Client Attacks, Attacking Weak Encryption, DoS on Wireless Networks, and 802.11 Fuzzing Attacks.

WPA and Network Pivoting

Covers WPA Variants, including how to attack and secure them, and Bridging the Air Gap, which uses a compromised wireless system to further compromise a wired network.

Bluetooth and SDR

Covers Bluetooth Attacks, Bluetooth Low Energy Attacks, and Practical SDR Attacks.

RFID and NFC

Covers Low-Frequency RFID Attacks, High-Frequency RFID Attacks, and NFC.

Prepare With This Course

SEC617: Wireless Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking

Course Details

How SEC617 Prepares You for GAWN

SEC617 is built around the exam objectives that make up the GAWN certification:

Section 1, Wi-Fi Data Collection and Analysis builds skills tested under Wireless Basics, Sniffing Wireless, and Rogue Networks.
Section 2, Wi-Fi Attack and Exploitation Techniques aligns with Hotspots, Wireless Client Attacks, Attacking Weak Encryption, DoS on Wireless Networks, and 802.11 Fuzzing Attacks.
Section 3, Enterprise Wi-Fi Attacks aligns with WPA Variants and Bridging the Air Gap.
Section 4, Bluetooth and Software Defined Radio Attacks builds skills tested under Bluetooth Attacks, Bluetooth Low Energy Attacks, and Practical SDR Attacks.
Section 5, Privacy, RFID, Smart Cards, and NFC Hacking aligns with Low-Frequency RFID Attacks, High-Frequency RFID Attacks, and NFC.
Section 6, Capture the Flag Event brings the concepts from Sections 1 through 5 together in a hands-on exercise that includes attacking recorded Wi-Fi networks, decoding proprietary wireless signals, and exploiting smart card deficiencies.

Across all six sections, 17 hands-on labs and a Capture the Flag event give you the chance to apply each skill with the SANS Wireless Assessment Toolkit (SWAT) hardware before you sit the exam.

Read the full GAWN certification overview

SEC617 Course Authors

James Leyte-Vidal

James Leyte-Vidal, GSE #209, brings Fortune 100 security leadership, offensive operations experience, and practical teaching to SANS. He teaches SEC504, co-authored SEC617 and SEC556, and wrote Ethical Password Cracking.

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Larry Pesce

Executive Director of Research at Secure Idea

Larry Pesce is a SANS Senior Instructor and Executive Director of Research at Secure Ideas. With 25+ years in security, he co-authored SEC617 and SEC556, bringing wireless testing, IoT research, and hardware hacking experience into the classroom.

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Who Should Pursue GAWN

Ethical Hackers and Penetration Testers

Network Security Staff and Network and System Administrators

Incident Response Teams

Auditors and Technical Auditors

Information Security Consultants and Policy Decision-Makers

Wireless System Engineers and Embedded Wireless System Developers

Frequently Asked Questions

The GAWN certification validates a technologist's readiness to assess the security of wireless networks. Holders have shown fluency in the techniques used to analyze wireless networks and their security mechanisms, plus the tools and techniques used to evaluate and exploit weaknesses.

GAWN is one proctored exam with 75 questions and a 2-hour time limit. The minimum passing score is 70%. GIAC periodically reviews exam specifications, so confirm the current format in your GIAC account before you test.

GIAC certifications are renewed on a recurring cycle through continuing education credits and a maintenance fee. For the current renewal requirements, see GIAC’s renewal page.

GAWN suits ethical hackers and penetration testers, network security staff, network and system administrators, incident response teams, auditors, information security consultants and policy decision-makers, and wireless system engineers and embedded wireless system developers.

SEC617: Wireless Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking maps directly to the GAWN objectives. The course includes 17 hands-on labs, a final-day Capture the Flag event, and the SANS Wireless Assessment Toolkit (SWAT), a hardware set that includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth adapters, RFID reader/writers, and a software-defined radio receiver. Completion of SANS training is not required for GIAC certification, and GIAC notes that practical work experience and self-paced study can also build the same skills. View SEC617.

SANS Institute is a training organization. GIAC LLC is an independent certification body accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) under ISO/IEC 17024:2012. Completion of SANS training is not required for GIAC certification, nor does it guarantee a passing exam result.

Ready to earn your GAWN certification?

Add the GAWN exam attempt when you register for SEC617.

Already trained? Register for the exam directly through GIAC.

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