SEC566: Implementing and Auditing Security Frameworks and Controls

GIAC Critical Controls Certification (GCCC)
GIAC Critical Controls Certification (GCCC)
  • In Person (5 days)
  • Online
30 CPEs

High-profile cybersecurity attacks indicate that offensive attacks are outperforming defensive measures. Cybersecurity engineers, auditors, privacy, and compliance team members are asking how they can practically protect and defend their systems and data, and how they should implement a prioritized list of cybersecurity hygiene controls. In SANS SEC566, students will learn how an organization can defend its information by using vetted cybersecurity frameworks and standards. Students will specifically learn how to navigate security control requirements defined by the Center for Internet Security's (CIS) Controls (v7.1 / 8.0), the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), NIST SP 800-171, ISO/IEC 27000, and other frameworks into a cohesive strategy to defend their organization while complying with industry standards. 13 Hands-on Exercises

What You Will Learn

Prioritizing defenses to stop attacks with the appropriate cyber controls.

In addition to defending their information systems, many organizations have to comply with a number of cybersecurity standards and requirements as a prerequisite for doing business. Dozens of cybersecurity standards exist throughout the world and most organizations must comply with more than one such standard. As threats and attack surfaces change and evolve, an organization's security should as well. To enable your organization to stay on top of this ever-changing threat scenario, SANS has mapped the most commonly utilized cybersecurity frameworks into one comprehensive, comparative approach that enables organizations to streamline efforts and assets to properly defend their networks while meeting required standards.

SEC566 will enable you to master the specific and proven techniques and tools needed to implement and audit the controls defined in the Center for Internet Security's CIS) Controls (v7.1 / 8.0), the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), ISO/IEC 27000, and many other common industry standards and frameworks. Students will learn how to merge these various standards into a cohesive strategy to defend their organization and comply with industry standards. SANS' in-depth, hands-on training will teach security practitioners to understand not only how to stop a threat, but why the threat exists, and how to ensure that security measures deployed today will be effective against the next generation of threats. SEC566 shows security professionals how to implement the controls in an existing network through cost-effective automation. For auditors, CIOs, and risk officers, this course is the best way to understand how you will measure whether their cybersecurity controls are effectively implemented.

BUSINESS TAKEAWAYS:

  • Maximize compliance analyst's time in mapping frameworks by learning a comprehensive controls matrix
  • Reduce duplicate efforts of administrators implementing cybersecurity controls from different standards and frameworks
  • Enjoy peace of mind that your organization has a comprehensive strategy for defense and compliance
  • Report the status of cybersecurity defense efforts to senior leadership in clear terms.

SKILLS LEARNED:

  • Apply a security framework based on actual threats that is measurable, scalable, and reliable in stopping known attacks and protecting organizations' important information and systems
  • Understand the importance of each control and how it is compromised if ignored, and explain the defensive goals that result in quick wins and increased visibility of network and systems
  • Identify and use tools that implement controls through automation
  • Create a scoring tool to measure the effectiveness of each controls the effectiveness of each control
  • Employ specific metrics to establish a baseline and measure the effectiveness of security controls
  • Competently map critical controls to standards such as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, NIST SP 800-171, the CMMC, and more
  • Audit each of the CIS Critical Controls, with specific, proven templates, checklists, and scripts provided to facilitate the audit process

HANDS-ON TRAINING:

During this course, students will participate in hands-on lab exercises that illustrate the concepts discussed in class. The goal of these labs is to complement and enhance the understanding of the defenses discussed in the course and to provide practical examples of how the Controls can be applied in a practical, real-world scenario.

Section 1: Preparing Student Laptops for Class, How to Use the AuditScripts CIS Critical Control Initial Assessment Tool, Asset Inventory with Microsoft PowerShell

Section 2: How to Use Veracrypt to Encrypt Data at Rest, How to Use Mimikatz to Abuse Privileged Access, Understanding Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) for Baselining

Section 3: How to Use Microsoft AppLocker to Enforce Application Control, Using PowerShell to Test for Software Updates, How to Use the CIS-CAT Tool to Audit Configurations, How to Parse Nmap Output with PowerShell

Section 4: How to Use GoPhish to Perform Phishing Assessments, How to Use Nipper to Audit Network Device Configurations, How to Use Wireshark to Detect Malicious Activity

"The exercises and labs provide great knowledge in understanding the course even further." - Nasser AlMazrouei, ADIA

"Real world tool usage and demonstration in the labs really helps understand threat potential." - Andrew Cummings, Emory University

"All labs were easy to follow and performed as expected." - Shawn Bilak, Southern Company

"Sad to have finished the last lab today. I've really enjoyed them. But, I've also learned about some resources I can use to further my learning and practices. The labs are not something I ever thought I would enjoy if I'm honest, but it's SO cool! and I cannot wait to learn more!" - Amy Garner, BUPA

SYLLABUS SUMMARY:

Section 1: Students will learn an overview of the most common cybersecurity standards used by organizations and an introduction to how they address cybersecurity risk.

Section 2: Students will learn the core principles of data protection and Identity and Access Management (IAM), prioritizing the controls defined by industry standard cybersecurity frameworks.

Section 3: Students will learn the core principles of vulnerability and configuration management, prioritizing the controls defined by industry standard cybersecurity frameworks.

Section 4: Students will learn the core principles of endpoint security and network based defenses, prioritizing the controls defined by industry standard cybersecurity frameworks.

Section 5: Students will learn the core principles of key cybersecurity governance and operational practices, prioritizing the controls defined by industry standard cybersecurity frameworks.

ADDITIONAL FREE RESOURCES:

WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE:

  • Printed and electronic courseware
  • MP3 audio files of the complete course lecture

WHAT COMES NEXT:

Syllabus (30 CPEs)

Download PDF
  • Overview

    Students will learn the background and context for Version 8 of the CIS Controls as well as the most recent versions of NIST SP 800-171 and the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). These standards and control frameworks shape and influence cybersecurity practices and are organized into defensive domains. To understand how these defensive domains interact, students need to first understand the building blocks of a cybersecurity program, including the importance of a governance foundation and how to streamline implementation of controls across multiple frameworks.

    In this first course section we will establish baseline knowledge of key terms used in the defensive domains. In addition, we will take a deep dive into cover Control #1, the Inventory and Control of Enterprise Assets. Any time a new device is installed on a network, there are risks of exposing the network to unknown vulnerabilities or hampering its operation. Malicious code can take advantage of new hardware that is not configured and patched with appropriate security updates at the time of installation. Attackers can use these vulnerable systems to install backdoors before they are hardened. In automating CIS Control #1, it is critical that all devices be included in an accurate and up-to-date inventory control system. Any device not in the database should not be allowed to be connected to the network. Some organizations maintain asset inventories by using specific large-scale enterprise commercial products or by using free solutions to periodically track and sweep the network.

    Exercises
    • Preparing Student Laptops for Class
    • How to Use the AuditScripts CIS Critical Control Initial Assessment Tool
    • Asset Inventory with Microsoft PowerShell
    Topics
    • Understanding the CIS Critical Controls
    • Understanding NIST SP 800-171 and the CMMC
    • Understanding the Collective Control Catalog
    • Establishing the Governance Foundation of a Security Program
    • CIS Control #1: Inventory and Control of Enterprise Assets
  • Overview

    During Section 2, the course will begin to cover the defensive domains of data protection, identification and authentication, and access control management., and audit and accountability. Students will learn how identity and access control promote data protection and they will also learn the importance of audit log management. Specifically, in Section 2 of the course students will learn the following defensive domains:

    Data Protection

    The loss of protected and sensitive data is a serious threat to business operations consumer privacy, and potentially, national security. While some data is leaked or lost as a result of theft or espionage, the vast majority of these problems result from poorly understood data practices, including a lack of effective policy architectures and user error. The term "Data Loss Prevention" (DLP) refers to a comprehensive approach covering the people, processes, and systems that identify, monitor, and protect data in use (e.g., endpoint actions), data in motion (e.g., network actions), and data at rest (e.g., data storage) through deep content inspection and with a centralized management framework. Commercial DLP solutions are available to look for exfiltration attempts and detect other suspicious activities associated with a protected network holding sensitive information. The system must be capable of identifying unauthorized data that leaves the organization's systems whether via network file transfers or removable media.

    Account Management

    The most common method attackers use to infiltrate a target enterprise is through a misuse of account privileges whether those of a normal business user or privileged account. An attacker can easily convince a workstation user to open a malicious e-mail attachment, download and open a file from a malicious site, or surf to a site that automatically downloads malicious content. If the user is logged in as an administrator, the attacker has full access to the system. Built-in operating system features can extract lists of accounts with super-user privileges, both locally on individual systems and on overall domain controllers. These accounts should be monitored and tracked very closely.

    Access Control Management

    Some organizations do not carefully identify and separate sensitive data from less sensitive data publicly available information within an internal network. In many environments, internal users have access to all or most of the information on the network. Once attackers have penetrated such a network, they can easily find and exfiltrate important information with little resistance. The Access Management Control is often implemented using the built-in separation of administrator accounts from non-administrator accounts. The system must be able to detect all attempts by users to access files without the appropriate privileges and must generate an alert or e-mail for administrative personnel. This includes information on local systems or network accessible file shares.

    Audit Log Management

    At times, audit logs provide the only evidence of a successful attack. Many organizations keep audit records for compliance purposes but rarely review them. When audit logs are not reviewed, organizations do not know their systems have been compromised. Attackers rely on this. Most free and commercial operating systems, network services, and firewall technologies offer logging capabilities. Such logging should be activated, and logs should be sent to centralized logging servers. The system must be capable of logging all events across the network. The logging must be validated across both network and host-based systems.

    Exercises
    • How to Use Veracrypt to Encrypt Data at Rest
    • How to Use Mimikatz to Abuse Privileged Access
    • Understanding Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) for Baselining
    Topics
    • CIS Control #3: Data Protection
    • CIS Control #5: Account Management
    • CIS Control #6: Access Control Management
    • CIS Control #8: Audit Log Management
  • Overview

    During Section 3 , the course will cover the defensive domains of configuration management, system and software integrity, vulnerability management, and physical protection. Specifically, students will learn the following defensive domains:

    Inventory and Control of Software Assets

    An organization without the ability to inventory and control the programs installed on its computer has more vulnerable systems and is more likely to be attacked. Furthermore, poorly managed machines are more likely to be outdated and to have needless software that introduces potential security flaws. Compromised systems become a staging point for attackers to collect sensitive information. In order to combat this threat, an organization should scan its network and identify known or responding applications. Commercial software and asset inventory tools are widely available. The best tools provide an inventory check of hundreds of common applications by leveraging standardized application names like those found in the Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) specification. These inventory tools pull the latest version of the application as well as pull information about the patch level of each installed program. In addition to inventory checks, tools that implement allow lists and deny lists of programs are included in many modern end-point protection security suites.

    Continuous Vulnerability Management

    Soon after security researchers and vendors discover and report new vulnerabilities, attackers create or update exploit code and launch it against targets of interest. Any significant delays finding or fixing software with critical vulnerabilities provides ample opportunity for persistent attackers to break through and gain control of vulnerable machines. A large number of vulnerability scanning tools are available to evaluate the security configuration of systems. The most effective vulnerability scanning tools compare the results of the current scan with previous scans to determine how the vulnerabilities in the environment have changed over time. All machines identified by the asset inventory system must be scanned for vulnerabilities.

    Secure Configuration of Enterprise Assets and Software

    Default configurations of software are often geared to ease-of-deployment and ease-of-use and not security, leaving some systems exploitable in their default state. Attackers attempt to exploit both network-accessible services and client software using various forms of malware. Without the ability to inventory and control installed and running, enterprises make their systems more vulnerable. Organizations can implement this control by developing a series of images and secure storage servers for hosting these standard images. Configuration management tools can be employed to measure the settings of the installed software and to look for deviations from the standard image configurations used by the organization.

    Physical Protection Controls (NIST SP 800-171 and the CMMC)

    Physical security used to be limited to controlling access buildings and data centers, but now physical protections also involve restricting access to systems, mobile devices, removable media, and limiting data access to authorized individuals. Physical security includes additional requirements such as identifying, escorting, and monitoring visitors, clean desk protocols, and maintaining logs of physical access to facilitates and data centers.

    Exercises
    • How to Use Microsoft AppLocker to Enforce Application Control
    • Using PowerShell to Test for Software Updates
    • How to Use the CIS-CAT Tool to Audit Configurations
    • How to Parse Nmap Output with PowerShell

    Topics
    • CIS Control #2: Inventory and Control of Software Assets
    • CIS Control #7: Continuous Vulnerability Management
    • CIS Control #4: Secure Configuration of Enterprise Assets and Software
    • Physical Security Controls (NIST SP 800-171 and the CMMC)
  • Overview

    Section 4 will cover the defensive domains of system integrity, system and communications protection, configuration management, and media protection. Specifically, during this section of the course, students will learn the following cybersecurity controls: email and browser protections, endpoint detection and response, data recovery, and network device management

    Email and Web Browser Protections

    Web browsers and email clients are very common points of entry and attack because of their high technical complexity and flexibility, and their direct interaction with users and within the other systems and websites. Content can be crafted to entice of spoof users into taking actions that greatly increase risk and allow for introduction of malicious code, loss of valuable data, and other attacks. Organizations must minimize the attack surface and the opportunities for attackers to manipulate human behavior through their interaction with web browsers and email systems.

    Malware Defenses

    Malicious software is an integral and dangerous aspect of Internet threats because it targets end users and organizations via web browsing, e-mail attachments, mobile devices, and other vectors. Malicious code may tamper with a system's components, capture sensitive data, and spread infected code to other systems. To ensure anti-virus signatures are up-to-date, effective organizations use automation including the built-in administrative features of enterprise endpoint security suites to verify that anti-virus, anti-spyware, and host-based Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) features are active on every managed system. They also run automated assessments daily and review the results to find and mitigate systems that have deactivated such protections or do not have the latest malware definitions. The system must identify any malicious software that is either installed or has been attempted to be installed, or executed, or attempted to be executed, on a computer system.

    Data Recovery

    When attackers compromise machines, they often make significant changes to configurations and software. Sometimes attackers also make subtle alterations of data stored on compromised machines, potentially jeopardizing organizational effectiveness with polluted information. Once per quarter, a testing team should evaluate a random sample of system backups by attempting to restore them onto a test bed environment. The restored systems should be verified to ensure that the operating system, application, and data from the backup are all intact and functional.

    Network Infrastructure Management

    Attackers penetrate defenses by searching for electronic holes and misconfigurations in firewalls, routers, and switches. Once these network devices have been exploited, attackers can gain access to target networks, redirect traffic to a malicious system masquerading as a trusted system, and intercept and alter data while in transmission. Organizations can use commercial tools that will evaluate the rule set of network filtering devices in order to determine whether they are consistent or in conflict and to provide an automated check of network filters. Additionally, these commercial tools search for errors in rule sets. Such tools should be run each time significant changes are made to firewall rule sets, router access control lists, or other filtering technologies.

    Network Monitoring and Defense

    By attacking Internet-facing systems, attackers can create a relay point or bridgehead to break into other networks or internal systems. Automated tools can be used to exploit vulnerable entry points into a network. To control the flow of traffic through network borders and to look for attacks and evidence of compromised machines, boundary defenses should be multi-layered. These boundaries should consist of firewalls, proxies, DMZ perimeter networks, and network-based intrusion prevention systems and intrusion detection systems. Organizations should regularly test these sensors by launching vulnerability-scanning tools. These tools verify that the scanner traffic triggers an appropriate alert. The captured packets of the Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) sensors should be reviewed using an automated script each day to ensure that log volumes are within expected parameters, are formatted properly, and have not been corrupted.

    Exercises
    • How to Use GoPhish to Perform Phishing Assessments
    • How to Use Nipper to Audit Network Device Configurations
    • How to Use Wireshark to Detect Malicious Activity
    Topics
    • CIS Control #9: Email and Web Browser Protections
    • CIS Control #10: Malware Defenses
    • CIS Control #11: Data Recovery
    • CIS Control #12: Network Infrastructure Management
    • CIS Control #13: Network Monitoring and Defense
  • Overview

    Section 5 will cover the defensive domains of security awareness , service provider management, application development security, incident management, and penetration testing. Specifically during this section of the course, students will learn about the following cybersecurity domains:

    Security Awareness and Skills Training

    An organization hoping to effectively identify and respond to attacks effectively relies on its employees and contractors to find the gaps and fill them. A solid security skills assessment program can provide actionable information to decision-makers about where security awareness needs to be improved. It can also help determine proper allocation of limited resources to improve security practices. The key to upgrading skills is measurement - not with certification examinations, but with assessments that show both the employee and the employer where knowledge is sufficient and where there are gaps. Once the gaps have been identified, those employees who have the requisite knowledge can be called upon to mentor the employees who do not. The organization can also develop training programs that directly maintain employee readiness.

    Service Provider Management

    More and more organizations use third-party service providers to supplement their technology needs or services. Examples of service providers include outsourced consultants, IT providers, payroll providers, electronic billing providers, manufacturers, and more. Third parties can introduce additional risks to the security posture of organizations through remote connections, business-to-business networks, and the sharing and processing of data.

    Application Software Security

    Criminal organizations frequently attack vulnerabilities in both web-based and non-web-based application software. In fact, it is a top priority for criminals. Application software is vulnerable to remote compromise in three ways:

    • It does not properly check the size of user input
    • It fails to sanitize user input by filtering out potentially malicious character sequences
    • It does not properly initialize and clear variables properly

    To avoid attacks, internally developed and third-party application software must be carefully tested to find security flaws. Source code testing tools, web application security scanning tools, and object code testing tools have proven useful in securing application software. Another useful tool is manual application security penetration testing by testers who have extensive programming knowledge and application penetration testing expertise. The system must be capable of detecting and blocking an application-level software attack, and must generate an alert or send e-mail to enterprise administrative personnel.

    Incident Response Management

    Without an incident response plan, an organization may not discover an attack in the first place. Even if the attack is detected, the organization may not follow proper procedures to contain damage, eradicate the attacker's presence, and recover in a secure fashion. Thus, the attacker may have a major impact even though detected, causing more damage, infecting more systems, and possibly exfiltrating more sensitive data than would otherwise be possible. After defining detailed incident response procedures, the incident response team should engage in periodic scenario-based training, including working through a series of attack scenarios that are fine-tuned to the threats and vulnerabilities the organization faces.

    Penetration Testing

    Attackers penetrate networks and systems through social engineering and by exploiting vulnerable software and hardware. Penetration testing involves mimicking the actions of computer attackers and exploiting them to determine what kind of access an attacker can gain. Each organization should define a clear scope and the rules of engagement for penetration testing and red team analyses. The scope of such projects should include, at a minimum, systems with the highest value information and production processing functionality.

    Topics
    • CIS Control #14: Security Awareness and Skills Training
    • CIS Control #15: Service Provider Management
    • CIS Control #16: Application Software Security
    • CIS Control #17: Incident Response Management
    • CIS Control #18: Penetration Testing

GIAC Critical Controls Certification

The GIAC Critical Controls Certification (GCCC) is the only certification based on the CIS Controls, a prioritized, risk-based approach to security. This certification ensures that candidates have the knowledge and skills to implement and execute the CIS Critical Controls recommended by the Council on Cybersecurity, and perform audits based on the standard.

  • Background, purpose, and implementation of the CIS Critical Security Controls and related security standards; auditing principles
  • Inventory and control of enterprise assets; inventory and control of software assets; secure configuration of enterprise assets and software; application software security; data protection; data recovery
  • Account management; access control management; email and web browser protections; continuous vulnerability management; malware defenses; audit log management
  • Network infrastructure management; network monitoring and defense; incident response management; penetration testing; security awareness and skills training; service provider management
More Certification Details

Prerequisites

SEC566 covers all of the 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 SEC566, they do provide the introductory knowledge to help maximize the experience with SEC566.

Laptop Requirements

CRITICAL NOTE: Apple systems using the M1 processor line cannot perform the necessary virtualization functionality and therefore cannot in any way be used for this course.

Important! Bring your own system configured according to these instructions!

We ask that you do four things to prepare prior to class start. This early preparation will allow you to get the most out of your training. You must bring a properly configured system to fully participate in this course. If you do not carefully read and follow the instructions below, you will likely leave the class unsatisfied because you will not be able to participate in hands-on exercises that are essential to this course. Therefore, we strongly urge you to arrive with a system meeting all the requirements specified below for the course. This section details the required system hardware and software configuration for your class. You can also watch a series of short videos on these topics at https://sansurl.com/sans-setup-videos.

SANS courses consist of instruction and hands-on sessions. The hands-on sessions are designed to allow students to practice the knowledge gained throughout the course in an instructor-led environment. Students will have the opportunity to install, configure, and use the tools and techniques that they have learned.

Requirement #1: Bring a Properly Configured Laptop to Class

Students attending this course are required to bring a laptop computer in order to complete the exercises in class. Please make sure you bring a computer that meets the Requirements 2 - 4 below, and that it is properly configured. There will not be enough time in class to help you install your computer, so it must be properly installed and configured before you come to class so you can get the most from the class. Please do not bring a regular production computer for this class! When installing software, there is always a chance of breaking something else on the system. Students should assume the worst and that all data could be lost.

Requirement #2: Laptop Hardware Requirements

In order to complete the in-class activities, please ensure the laptop that you bring to class is configured with at least the following hardware:

  • 8 GB of hardware memory
  • 64-bit processor
  • 64 GB free disk space (at least)
  • Wireless (802.11) network adapter
  • USB ports (not restricted)
  • BIOS / Processor support for virtualization*

*Please verify that virtualization is supported on your laptop prior to coming to class. More information on how to do so can be found at https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1003944.

Prior to coming to class, please ensure that the network interfaces are tested to prove that they can be configured and that all of the proper drivers have been installed.

Requirement #3: Laptop Operating System Requirements

In order to complete the in class activities, please ensure that the laptop that you bring to class is configured with at least the following operating system or configurations:

  • Latest version of Windows 10, macOS 10.15.x or later, or Linux that also can install and run VMware virtualization products described below.
  • Students must be local administrator of this host operating system
  • Students must know all BIOS or other passwords used on the system
  • No Group Policy Objects (GPOs) or other similar operating system restrictions should be in place; ideally this laptop should not be a member of any domain prior to class.

Students may bring Apple Mac OSX machines, but all lab activities assume that the host operating system is Microsoft Windows based. Students will need to be confident reconfiguring and administering their own system if they bring a laptop running any operating system other than Microsoft Windows noted above.

Requirement #4: Laptop Software Requirements

In order to complete the in-class activities, please ensure that the laptop that you bring to class is configured with at least the following software or configurations:

  • Microsoft Office 2010 (or later) installed and licensed on the laptop
  • Download and install either VMware Workstation Player 16.1.1 or Fusion 12 or higher versions before class. If you do not own a licensed copy of VMware Workstation Player or Fusion, 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 on its website.
  • Other virtualization software, such as VirtualBox and Hyper-V, are not appropriate because of compatibility and troubleshooting problems you might encounter during class.
  • VMware Workstation Pro and VMware Player on Windows 10 is not compatible with Windows 10 Credential Guard and Device Guard technologies. Please disable these capabilities for the duration of the class, if they're enabled on your system, by following instructions in this section.

Our hope is that by following these simple instructions above, you will be able to make the most of your classroom experience.

Your course media will be delivered via download. The media files for class can be large, some in the 40 - 50 GB range. 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. Waiting until the night before the class starts to begin your download has a high probability of failure.

SANS has begun providing printed materials in PDF form. Additionally, certain classes are using an electronic workbook in addition to the PDFs. In this new environment, we have found that a second monitor and/or a tablet device can be useful by keeping the class materials visible while the instructor is presenting or while you are working on lab exercises.

If you have additional questions about the laptop specifications, please contact laptop_prep@sans.org.

Author Statement

"Even though cybersecurity professionals like us have been working in this industry for more than 20 years, there are days when we wonder if our profession as a whole is getting better or worse at providing clear guidance to organizations that want to defend their information systems. An online search for cybersecurity standards will yield dozens of possible documents that all tell you that their approach is the one best suited to defend against the myriad of threats today. But when these documents give conflicting or vague advice, how is an organization to know what it should do to defend itself?

In SANS SEC566: Implementing and Auditing Security Frameworks and Controls, we aim to solve that problem. In writing this course, we analyzed all of the most popular cybersecurity standards in order to better understand the common cybersecurity controls that should be considered cybersecurity hygiene principles. While we considered dozens of control libraries, we will focus on those with the potential to provide the most meaningful impact to organizations today. Using the Center for Internet Security's Critical Controls, NIST SP 800-171, and the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, this course will provide students with an understanding of a prioritized set of cybersecurity defenses that can help organizations defend their information systems. We hope to cut through the confusion to provide students with a clear and concise view of what they can do to be successful in this endeavor."

- James Tarala and Kelli K. Tarala

"Loved this course. It provides a method of measuring your security posture and applying the concept to any organization." - John M., US Military

Reviews

After attending this class, I now have this rejuvenated desire to get back to work, tweek my vulnerability scanner, and run my scans.
Jason Hinojosa
Rush Enterprises
Very valuable because it focuses on what matters and provides practical and easy ways to improve security posture.
Antonio Sannino
P&G
SEC566 was very valuable for me. I thought I knew about security controls but this course has shown me that all I knew was the basics. I now have in-depth knowledge in this area.
Noureen Njoroge
CISCO Systems
SEC566 is truly providing the foundation to elevate my organization's security posture. It has given me the tools to secure our environment and explain why we need to in the first place.
Keri Powell
Textron
I will be able to take this back to my organization and use it right away.
Beth Cann
MIT Lincoln Laboratory

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