SEC366: CIS Implementation Group 1

Important! Bring your own system capable of running a Windows 11 VM. Details below.

A properly configured system is required to fully participate in this course. If you do not carefully read and follow these instructions, you will not be able to fully participate in hands-on exercises in your course. Therefore, please arrive with a system meeting all of the specified requirements. Back up your system before class. Better yet, use a system without any sensitive/critical data. SANS is not responsible for your system or data.

Mandatory System Hardware Requirements

• CPU: 64-bit Intel i5/i7 (8th generation or newer), or AMD equivalent. A x64 bit, 2.0+ GHz or newer processor is mandatory for this class.
• CRITICAL: Apple Silicon devices cannot perform the necessary virtualization and therefore cannot in any way be used for this course.
• BIOS settings must be set to enable virtualization technology, such as "Intel-VTx" or "AMD-V" extensions. Be absolutely certain you can access your BIOS if it is password protected, in case changes are necessary.
• 8GB of RAM or more is required.
• 64GB of free storage space or more is required.
• At least one available USB 3.0 Type-A port. A Type-C to Type-A adapter may be necessary for newer laptops. Some endpoint protection software prevents the use of USB devices, so test your system with a USB drive before class.
• Wireless networking (802.11 standard) is required. There is no wired Internet access in the classroom.

Mandatory Host Configuration And Software Requirements

• Your host operating system must be the latest version of Windows 10, Windows 11, or macOS 10.15.x or newer.
• Fully update your host operating system prior to the class to ensure you have the right drivers and patches installed.
• Linux hosts are not supported in the classroom due to their numerous variations. If you choose to use Linux as your host, you are solely responsible for configuring it to work with the course materials and/or VMs.
• Local Administrator Access is required. (Yes, this is absolutely required. Don't let your IT team tell you otherwise.) If your company will not permit this access for the duration of the course, then you should make arrangements to bring a different laptop.
• You should ensure that antivirus or endpoint protection software is disabled, fully removed, or that you have the administrative privileges to do so. Many of our courses require full administrative access to the operating system and these products can prevent you from accomplishing the labs.
• Any filtering of egress traffic may prevent accomplishing the labs in your course. Firewalls should be disabled or you must have the administrative privileges to disable it.
• Microsoft Office (any version) or OpenOffice installed on your host. Note that you can download Office Trial Software online (free for 30 days).
• Download and install VMware Workstation Pro 16.2.X+ or VMware Player 16.2.X+ (for Windows 10 hosts), VMware Workstation Pro 17.0.0+ or VMware Player 17.0.0+ (for Windows 11 hosts), or VMWare Fusion Pro 12.2+ or VMware Fusion Player 11.5+ (for macOS hosts) prior to class beginning. If you do not own a licensed copy of VMware Workstation Pro or VMware Fusion Pro, you can download a free 30-day trial copy from VMware. VMware will send you a time-limited serial number if you register for the trial at their website. Also note that VMware Workstation Player offers fewer features than VMware Workstation Pro. For those with Windows host systems, Workstation Pro is recommended for a more seamless student experience.
• On Windows hosts, VMware products might not coexist with the Hyper-V hypervisor. For the best experience, ensure VMware can boot a virtual machine. This may require disabling Hyper-V. Instructions for disabling Hyper-V, Device Guard, and Credential Guard are contained in the setup documentation that accompanies your course materials.
• Download and install 7-Zip (for Windows Hosts) or Keka (for macOS hosts). These tools are also included in your downloaded course materials.

Your course media is delivered via download. The media files for class can be large. Many are in the 40-50GB range, with some over 100GB. You need to allow plenty of time for the download to complete. Internet connections and speed vary greatly and are dependent on many different factors. Therefore, it is not possible to give an estimate of the length of time it will take to download your materials. Please start your course media downloads as soon as you get the link. You will need your course media immediately on the first day of class. Do not wait until the night before class to start downloading these files.

If you have additional questions about the laptop specifications, please contact customer service.

This course is ideal for technical non-security employees who have been tasked with managing security for their small or medium-sized business. CIS Implementation Group 1 is geared towards small to medium-sized organizations that have limited IT and cybersecurity expertise to dedicate towards protecting IT assets and personnel. Examples of such customers are State, Local, and Tribal Governments, US School Districts, US Federal Circuit Courts, Managed Service Provider Consortiums, and non-profits.

• Electronic courseware
• Course VM to practice learned concepts

SEC366 covers core areas of security and assumes a basic understanding of technology, networks, and security. For those who are new to the field and have no background knowledge, SEC275: Foundations - Computers, Technology and Security or SEC301: Introduction to Cyber Security would be the recommended starting point. While these courses are not a prerequisite for SEC366, they do provide the introductory knowledge to help maximize the experience of SEC366.

The SEC366 course is part of the Cybersecurity Leadership focus area and is part of the Essentials courses that help build and mature cybersecurity programs.

CIS Critical Security Controls Implementation Group 1 (IG1) is a prioritized set of 56 essential cybersecurity safeguards that represent a minimum standard of protection every organization should implement. It’s specifically designed for organizations with limited resources and aims to defend against the most common cyber threats. IG1 offers a practical, scalable starting point for building a strong security foundation—providing clear guidance on what actions to take first to reduce risk and improve resilience.

SEC366 offers the knowledge to confidently implement and manage IG1 controls in real-world environments. Whether you're a technical professional new to security or someone tasked with leading cybersecurity efforts in a smaller organization, this course builds your capability to identify threats, apply safeguards, and communicate risk clearly to leadership. By mastering these skills, students increase their value to current or future employers and position themselves as reliable resources for building or maturing security programs.