Certified: SANS GIAC GSEC Audio Course

Welcome to the SANS GSEC Audio Course

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 100 — Final Exam-Day Readiness: Calm, Confident Execution

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every hour of study leads to this moment, and this closing episode focuses on how to perform at your best when it counts. You’ll learn strategies fo...

Episode 99 — Continuous Improvement: Audits, Drills, and Reviews

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Improvement only happens when you measure and test what you’ve built. This episode focuses on how audits, exercises, and management reviews sustain ...

Episode 98 — Building a Security Program: Roadmaps and Maturity

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A strong security program doesn’t happen by chance—it’s built through deliberate planning and continuous growth. This episode walks through how ...

Episode 97 — Mapping Controls to Risks and Threats

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A control has no value unless it addresses a real risk, and this episode explores how to build that connection intentionally. You’ll learn how risk ...

Episode 96 — Frameworks Overview: CIS, NIST CSF, and ATT&CK

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Security frameworks turn best practices into organized action, and this episode introduces three of the most widely used: the Center for Internet Secu...

Episode 95 — Post-Incident Activities: Lessons, RCA, and Controls

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every incident ends with questions: what happened, why, and how to prevent it next time. This episode explains how post-incident reviews turn disrupti...

Episode 94 — Incident Response II: Containment, Eradication, and Recovery

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Once an incident is confirmed, response shifts from analysis to action. This episode explores containment strategies—isolating infected hosts, block...

Episode 93 — Incident Response I: Preparation and Detection

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Incident response begins long before an alert fires, and this episode focuses on the first two phases—preparation and detection. You’ll learn how ...

Episode 92 — Playbooks and Runbooks: Standardizing Response

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Consistency under pressure saves time, and this episode explains how playbooks and runbooks make that possible. You’ll learn the difference between ...

Episode 91 — Detection Engineering Basics: From Hypothesis to Rule

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Detection engineering bridges the gap between raw telemetry and actionable alerts, and this episode explores how the process works. You’ll learn how...

Episode 90 — Metrics and Reporting: Turning Data into Decisions

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Metrics are how security proves its value, and this episode teaches you how to turn measurements into meaningful management insight. You’ll learn ho...

Episode 89 — Legal, Privacy, and Ethics for Practitioners

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Cybersecurity is as much about responsibility as it is about technology, and this episode explores the legal and ethical framework professionals must ...

Episode 88 — Physical Security and Environmental Controls

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Cybersecurity may dominate headlines, but physical safeguards remain just as vital. This episode explores how physical and environmental controls prot...

Episode 87 — Supply Chain and Third-Party Risk

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every organization depends on vendors and partners, and this episode examines how that dependency creates new exposure. You’ll learn how software an...

Episode 86 — Secure File Transfer and Collaboration Patterns

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As organizations share data across teams, vendors, and regions, secure file transfer becomes essential to maintaining trust. This episode explains the...

Episode 85 — Email Security: SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and Gateways

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Email remains the top vector for phishing, fraud, and malware, and this episode explains how layered defenses counter those risks. You’ll learn how ...

Episode 84 — Data Loss Prevention: Endpoints, Network, and Cloud

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) combines technology and policy to stop sensitive information from leaving where it belongs. This episode introduces the cor...

Episode 83 — Data Classification and Handling Requirements

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Not all data is created equal, and this episode explains how classification brings order and protection to information assets. You’ll learn how orga...

Episode 82 — Secrets Management and Key Handling

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every system depends on secrets—API tokens, encryption keys, and credentials—and this episode focuses on how to protect them. You’ll learn the d...

Episode 81 — Virtualization and Container Security Basics

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Virtualization and containers have revolutionized how systems are deployed, but they’ve also redefined the attack surface. This episode explains how...

Episode 80 — Cloud Security III: Logging, Keys, and Workload Hygiene

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Visibility, key management, and workload upkeep form the operational backbone of secure cloud environments. This episode explains how enabling platfor...

Episode 79 — Cloud Security II: IAM, Network, and Storage Controls

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Identity, network, and storage security define the heart of cloud defense, and this episode dives deep into each. You’ll learn how cloud IAM policie...

Episode 78 — Cloud Security I: Shared Responsibility Model

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The cloud redefines where control ends and trust begins, and this episode introduces the shared responsibility model that governs it. You’ll learn h...

Episode 77 — Secure Baselines: Hardening Guides and Benchmarks

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every secure environment starts with a baseline, and this episode explains how hardening guides and benchmarks create consistency across systems. You’...

Episode 76 — Change and Configuration Management Controls

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stability and security both depend on disciplined change, and this episode explores how organizations govern that process through Change and Configura...

Episode 75 — Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Basics

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When incidents scale beyond a single system, organizations rely on Business Continuity (BC) and Disaster Recovery (DR) planning to stay afloat. This e...

Episode 74 — Backup Fundamentals: 3-2-1, Immutability, and Testing

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Backups are the ultimate recovery safety net, but only if they’re designed correctly. This episode explains the 3-2-1 backup rule—three copies of ...

Episode 73 — Remediation Planning and Verification Loops

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Finding vulnerabilities is only half the equation—fixing them effectively is what truly reduces risk. This episode walks through how remediation pla...

Episode 72 — Pen Testing Basics: Rules, Methods, and Ethics

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Penetration testing turns theory into simulation, offering a controlled way to measure defensive strength. This episode explains how pen testing diffe...

Episode 71 — Vulnerability Management II: Scanners, False Positives, and SLAs

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Once assets are identified, the next challenge is analyzing their weaknesses efficiently and accurately. This episode explores how vulnerability scann...

Episode 70 — Vulnerability Management I: Asset Inventory and Scoping

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You can’t protect what you don’t know you have, and this episode begins the journey into vulnerability management by focusing on discovery and sco...

Episode 69 — Phishing and Social Engineering Countermeasures

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Technology can fail, but awareness turns people into active defenders. This episode focuses on phishing and social engineering—the most persistent c...

Episode 68 — Ransomware: Controls, Backups, and Playbooks

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ransomware has transformed from nuisance to national security issue, and this episode explores how to counter it systematically. You’ll learn how at...

Episode 67 — Malware II: Prevention, Detection, and Containment

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Once you know what malware is, the next step is learning how to stop it. This episode explores preventive measures such as least privilege, patch mana...

Episode 66 — Malware I: Types, Vectors, and Evasion

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Malware is a constant in cybersecurity, and this episode breaks down its many forms, how it spreads, and how it hides. You’ll learn the defining cha...

Episode 65 — API Security Fundamentals: Keys, Tokens, and Rate-Limits

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

APIs are the unseen infrastructure of digital communication, and this episode examines how to secure them without slowing innovation. You’ll learn h...

Episode 64 — Common Web Risks: Injection, XSS, and CSRF

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Web applications remain one of the most common attack surfaces, and this episode dives into three of the most critical risks—Injection, Cross-Site S...

Episode 63 — Web Communication Security II: Headers and HSTS

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The smallest details in web configuration often have the biggest impact on security, and this episode explains how HTTP headers and strict transport p...

Episode 62 — Web Communication Security I: HTTPS, Cookies, and Sessions

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Web traffic security is at the core of modern cyber defense, and this episode unpacks how HTTPS, cookies, and sessions protect—or sometimes expose—...

Episode 61 — Crypto Tools: VPNs, SSH, GPG, and Disk Encryption

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Encryption moves from theory to practice through the tools we use every day, and this episode explores how they work together to protect data in motio...

Episode 60 — TLS in Practice: Ciphers, Versions, and Configs

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Transport Layer Security (TLS) is the protocol that makes online trust visible to users, and this episode breaks down how it actually works. You’ll ...

Episode 59 — PKI and Certificates: CA, CRL, and OCSP

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) brings order to digital trust, and this episode unpacks how it works from the inside out. You’ll learn how certifica...

Episode 58 — Cryptography II: Symmetric, Asymmetric, and Hashing

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Building on the previous episode, this discussion dives into the main families of cryptographic systems. You’ll learn how symmetric encryption uses ...

Episode 57 — Cryptography I: Core Concepts and Threats

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Encryption is the language of confidentiality, and this episode introduces the principles that make it work. You’ll learn the core goals of cryptogr...

Episode 56 — Retention, Chain of Custody, and Privacy Considerations

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode explores what happens after logs and evidence are collected—the policies that determine how long to keep them, how to protect them, and...

Episode 55 — Building Dashboards and Triage Routines

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dashboards transform raw data into visual understanding, and this episode explains how to design them for clarity and purpose. You’ll learn how to s...

Episode 54 — SIEM Use Cases: Alerts, Detections, and Tuning

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platform is only as valuable as the detections it produces. This episode examines how SIEM systems ...

Episode 53 — Log Normalization and Time Synchronization (NTP)

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Log normalization and time synchronization may sound like technical housekeeping, but they’re the foundation of credible analytics. This episode unp...

Episode 52 — Logging Fundamentals: What, Where, and Why

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Good logging turns invisible activity into actionable intelligence. This episode explains what to log, where to collect it, and why retention matters....

Episode 51 — Zero Trust Networking: Principles to Practice

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Zero Trust has become one of the most discussed—and misunderstood—security models in recent years. This episode breaks down the concept into its p...

Episode 50 — Proxies, Gateways, and CASB Basics

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode focuses on the middlemen of modern connectivity—devices and services that inspect, control, and secure traffic before it reaches its de...

Episode 49 — Network Security Devices II: IDS/IPS and Placement

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Detection depends on visibility, and this episode explores how Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS) turn network data into actionable ...

Episode 48 — Network Security Devices I: Firewalls and Policy

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Firewalls remain the cornerstone of perimeter defense, and this episode explores how they’ve evolved from simple packet filters to context-aware enf...

Episode 47 — macOS Security Essentials and Hardening

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Apple systems may be known for their usability, but they still demand deliberate hardening. This episode explains how macOS implements security throug...

Episode 46 — Mobile Device Security: MDM, BYOD, and App Risks

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mobile devices blur the line between personal convenience and corporate exposure, and this episode explores how to manage that balance. You’ll learn...

Episode 45 — Browser and Email Client Hardening

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Browsers and email clients are constant targets because they sit at the crossroads of user behavior and external content. This episode explains how to...

Episode 44 — Endpoint Security II: Application Control and Sandboxing

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The most effective security often focuses on what is allowed, not just what is blocked. This episode explains how application control enforces that pr...

Episode 43 — Endpoint Security I: EPP, HIDS/HIPS, Firewalls

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Endpoint protection remains the front line of enterprise defense, and this episode explores the major technologies that define it. You’ll learn how ...

Episode 42 — Linux Incident Basics: Triage and Artifacts

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When something goes wrong on a Linux system, knowing where to start determines how much truth you recover. This episode walks you through initial tria...

Episode 41 — Bash for Security Automation

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Automation turns routine security work into scalable process, and Bash scripting remains one of the simplest and most flexible tools for doing just th...

Episode 40 — Linux Hardening: SSH, PAM, and Auditd

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hardening Linux turns flexibility into security discipline, and this episode focuses on three pillars that make it possible: SSH, PAM, and Auditd. You...

Episode 39 — Linux Logging: Syslog, Journald, and Log Rotation

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Visibility defines resilience, and this episode explains how Linux records the events that matter. You’ll learn the roles of Syslog and Journald, ho...

Episode 38 — Linux Services and Daemons: systemd Control

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Behind every Linux workload runs a network of background services, or daemons, and this episode explores how systemd unifies their management. You’l...

Episode 37 — Linux Networking: Interfaces, iptables, and nftables

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode dives into how Linux handles network connectivity and control. You’ll learn how interfaces are configured, how IP addresses and routes ...

Episode 36 — Linux Permissions: UGO, SUID/SGID, and Sticky Bits

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Permissions are at the heart of Linux security, and this episode breaks down how the User, Group, and Other (UGO) model governs every file interaction...

Episode 35 — Linux Fundamentals: Files, Users, and Groups

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Linux plays a major role in modern security operations, and this episode introduces its foundational structure. You’ll learn how everything in Linux...

Episode 34 — Windows Investigation: Common Artifacts

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When incidents occur, the clues often hide in plain sight across the Windows operating system. This episode guides you through where to look and what ...

Episode 33 — PowerShell for Security Tasks

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

PowerShell has become one of the most powerful tools in a Windows defender’s arsenal. This episode explores how administrators and analysts use it t...

Episode 32 — Windows Auditing: Event Logs and Policies

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Auditing turns system behavior into evidence, and this episode focuses on how Windows logging makes that visibility possible. You’ll learn how audit...

Episode 31 — Windows Patching and Update Channels

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Keeping Windows systems current is one of the most visible signs of a healthy security posture. This episode explains how Microsoft’s update ecosyst...

Episode 30 — Windows Services: RDP, SMB, IIS Hardening

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Windows services provide the functionality users rely on, but they also represent key points of exposure. This episode examines three common services—...

Episode 29 — Group Policy: Security Settings and Enforcement

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Group Policy is one of the most powerful management tools in the Windows ecosystem, and this episode shows how it translates governance into automatio...

Episode 28 — Windows Domain Basics: AD Structure and Trusts

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode dives into Active Directory (AD), the identity backbone of most enterprise Windows networks. You’ll learn how AD organizes resources in...

Episode 27 — Windows Accounts: Users, Groups, and Privileges

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Windows user management forms the identity layer of the operating system, and this episode explains how its structure enforces accountability and acce...

Episode 26 — Windows Fundamentals: Filesystems and ACLs

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Understanding the Windows filesystem is a cornerstone of both system administration and security analysis. This episode explains how file structures, ...

Episode 25 — Session Management and Timeout Strategy

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Once users are authenticated, managing that access safely becomes the next challenge. This episode explains how session management protects the contin...

Episode 24 — Password Policy, MFA, and Credential Hygiene

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Credentials remain the front door to most systems, and this episode explores how to secure them with modern best practices. We unpack how password gui...

Episode 23 — Identity & Access Management II: Roles and Least Privilege

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Building on the previous discussion, this episode moves from theory to design—showing how well-structured roles enforce control and accountability. ...

Episode 22 — Identity & Access Management I: AuthN vs AuthZ

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Identity is the foundation of control, and this episode clarifies two of its most important pillars: authentication and authorization. You’ll hear h...

Episode 21 — Wireless Hardening: Configs, Rogue APs, and WIDS/WIPS

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Once you understand wireless fundamentals, the next step is learning how to harden them against misuse. This episode examines how configuration choice...

Episode 20 — Wireless Basics: 802.11, WPA2/3, and EAP

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wireless networking brings convenience and complexity in equal measure. This episode introduces the fundamentals of 802.11 standards, explaining how a...

Episode 19 — Network Monitoring: NetFlow, SPAN, and Taps

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Seeing what’s happening on the wire is essential for both prevention and response, and this episode covers the methods that make that visibility pos...

Episode 18 — DNS, DHCP, NAT: Security Implications

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Core network services often go overlooked, yet they represent some of the most targeted and misunderstood layers of modern infrastructure. This episod...

Episode 17 — Secure Routing and Switching Fundamentals

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Routing and switching form the circulatory system of any network, and understanding them is key to securing data in transit. This episode explains how...

Episode 16 — Network Segmentation: VLANs, Zones, and Trust

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Segmentation is one of the simplest yet most powerful ways to contain risk, and this episode explores how it works in practice. You’ll learn how Vir...

Episode 15 — Networking & Protocols III: Ports, Services, Bannering

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode dives into one of the most practical areas of network understanding: ports, services, and banners. Listeners learn how ports define the r...

Episode 14 — Networking & Protocols II: Addressing and Subnets

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Understanding IP addressing and subnetting isn’t just a math exercise—it’s a gateway to real security visibility. This episode explains how IP a...

Episode 13 — Networking & Protocols I: OSI and TCP/IP

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every cybersecurity role depends on understanding how data moves, and this episode makes the OSI and TCP/IP models come alive. You’ll hear how each ...

Episode 12 — Security Awareness: Human Risk Controls

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Technology alone can’t stop breaches if people remain untrained, and this episode focuses on the human side of defense. You’ll hear how awareness ...

Episode 11 — Security Standards, Baselines, and Procedures

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode explains how security standards and baselines transform policy intent into measurable, repeatable action. You’ll learn how standards de...

Episode 10 — Security Policies: Purpose, Scope, Ownership

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Policies often read like paperwork, but this episode shows how they operate as enforceable promises that align behavior, budgets, and controls. We bre...

Episode 9 — Risk, Likelihood, and Impact in Practice

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode translates risk math into plain language you can apply under time pressure. We clarify how likelihood describes the chance a scenario mat...

Episode 8 — Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Exposure Basics

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Here we untangle three terms that often get blended in conversation and on exams. The episode defines a threat as an agent or event with intent or cap...

Episode 7 — Security Mindset & Defense in Depth

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode frames the series’ technical content with a practitioner’s mindset: assume failure is possible, design so it’s contained, and verif...

Episode 6 — Mindset, Note-Taking, and Memory Techniques

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode helps you build a study mindset that sustains momentum rather than relying on last-minute cramming. You’ll hear how to set intention fo...

Episode 5 — Building Your Personal Learning Plan

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone studies differently, and this episode helps listeners create a plan that actually works for them. It covers how to set realistic goals, map o...

Episode 4 — Test-Taking Tactics and Time Management

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Knowing the material is only half the battle; the other half is mastering how to take the test. This episode focuses on building calm, deliberate habi...

Episode 3 — Study Blueprint and Resource Strategy

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every great exam performance starts with a plan, and this episode lays out exactly how to build one. Listeners will learn how to translate the GSEC ob...

Episode 2 — Registration, Exam Logistics, and Scoring

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Before diving into study materials, it helps to understand how the GSEC exam process works from start to finish. This episode walks through everything...