SEC536: Adversarial AI - Penetration Testing AI Systems
SEC536Offensive Operations, Artificial Intelligence
SANS Community Benefits
Connect, learn, and share with other cybersecurity professionals
Organizations with SANS-trained incident response teams identify threats 4.2 times faster and respond 51.6% faster than teams without SANS training, according to a 2025 IDC white paper commissioned by SANS.
IBM's 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report found organizations saved $192,000 through employee training, $193,000 through proactive threat hunting, and $211,000 through threat intelligence, while a security skills shortage added $173,000 to breach costs.
Yes. Organizations with SANS-trained staff report 8.8% fewer cybersecurity incidents overall, according to IDC's 2025 research on the business value of SANS training.
SANS's incident response curriculum includes FOR508 (Advanced Incident Response, Threat Hunting, and Digital Forensics), FOR578 (Cyber Threat Intelligence), FOR608 (Enterprise-Class Incident Response & Threat Hunting), FOR509 (Enterprise Cloud Forensics and Incident Response), LDR553 (Cyber Incident Management), SEC504 (Hacker Tools, Techniques, and Incident Handling), and ICS515 (ICS Visibility, Detection, and Response).
SANS instructor Dean Parsons notes that applying traditional IT response playbooks in industrial environments can introduce operational and safety risk. ICS/OT incident response needs to be engineering-led, safety-first, and grounded in real-world process constraints.
Experience Hands-On Incident Response Case Simulations with DFIR Bytes
You’ve seen where investigations break down – now step into a real-world simulation and experience what effective response looks like in action.
DFIR Bytes puts you in the role of the responder. In each interactive session, you’ll work through a realistic breach scenario, using real investigative skills to:
- Scope and triage threats
- Analyze forensic evidence
- Interpret critical artifacts
- Sharpen your investigative judgment
- Work on a world incident response case scenario from start to finish
Led by SANS instructors and designed for a wide range of experience levels, these case simulations build the speed, clarity, and confidence every responder needs under pressure.
Build the Future of Incident Response with Find Evil!
Find Evil! is the SANS hackathon for autonomous incident response, challenging participants to build AI-driven workflows that help teams move faster when every minute matters. Using Protocol SIFT, participants will create and test agent-based approaches to:
- Triage incidents faster
- Hunt for threats across complex environments
- Analyze evidence and surface meaningful findings
- Generate actionable outputs for responders
- Explore how AI can support real-world incident response at machine speed
SANS and GIAC: The Proven Path to Incident Response Readiness
Modern incident response isn't about more tools – it's about building teams that stay calm under pressure, move deliberately across hybrid environments, and make confident decisions early in an incident.
That's why global enterprises and critical infrastructure operators trust SANS training and GIAC certifications to build IR capability that performs when it matters most.
SANS courses are:
- Developed and taught by practitioners who lead real-world investigations
- Proven effective across enterprise, cloud, and OT environments
- Designed to teach not just what to do – but how to think under pressure
Each course includes hands-on labs that simulate live incidents, while GIAC certifications then validate those skills, giving organizations confidence that their responders can execute effectively in real-world conditions.
From triage and threat hunting to cloud forensics and incident management, SANS and GIAC deliver the complete system of skills that high-performing IR teams need in 2026 and beyond.
Build deep investigative capability to detect, scope, and eradicate adversaries across enterprise environments.
Translate adversary behavior into intelligence that informs prioritization, detection, and investigation decisions across the IR lifecycle.
Run large-scale, multi-platform investigations with clarity, structure, and control.
Investigate incidents across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud – from identity misuse to native telemetry analysis.
Command the response. Coordinate teams, brief leadership, and manage incidents at scale.
Build the fundamentals of incident handling and adversary tradecraft. Ideal for analysts and defenders entering IR roles.
Respond safely in operational technology environments without disrupting critical processes.
Testimonial
About a year ago, our average time to detect and resolve threats was approximately 1.5 hours. Today, we’ve managed to reduce this time to 30 minutes or less, significantly speeding up our threat detection and resolution process.
SANS Law Enforcement Appreciation Programs (LEAP)
SANS is proud to support State, Provincial, and Local Law Enforcement and the badged professionals behind them, especially those experiencing hardship funding their training efforts. To support these professionals in their quest to keep our communities safe, there are two promotional programs that can offer significant flexibility toward SANS courses.
