You can see it againUnder pressure people bring back shapes and positions long after the wording has gone.
Picture superiority · Shepard 1967, Standing 1973
GIAC (SANS)GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst
The GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA) certification validates your ability to detect and analyze threats through network and host activity. It is designed for practitioners responsible for intrusion detection, traffic analysis, and monitoring. Earning GCIA demonstrates hands-on expertise in configuring intrusion detection systems and interpreting network traffic and log files to defend against real-world attacks.
Exam formatCyberLive (hands-on, performance-based)
Duration240 minutes
DeliveryGIAC
Passing score67%
Free questions575
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst proves, and what it asks of you
What this certification covers, who it is written for, and what the exam itself looks like on the day.
4domains
15objectives
137concepts
US $499exam fee
What it is
What this certification is
What it validates, who it is written for, and the experience it assumes.
About this certification
The GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA) certification validates a practitioner's knowledge of network and host monitoring, traffic analysis, and intrusion detection. GCIA certification holders have the necessary skills to configure and monitor intrusion detection systems, and have the expertise to read, interpret, and analyze network traffic and related log files.
This certification is ideal for professionals who are responsible for detecting and responding to security threats. It covers fundamental concepts of traffic analysis, application protocols, open-source intrusion detection systems like Snort and Zeek, and network traffic forensics. By earning GCIA, you prove your ability to apply these skills in real-world scenarios, making you a valuable asset to any security team.
Who it’s for
This certification is for practitioners responsible for intrusion detection, including system analysts, security analysts, network engineers and administrators, and hands-on security managers. If your role involves monitoring network traffic, analyzing logs, or configuring intrusion detection systems, GCIA is designed to validate the skills you use every day.
Recommended experience
Practical work experience in network security, along with training or self-study, is recommended to ensure mastery of the skills required for certification. Hands-on experience with network traffic analysis and intrusion detection systems; Familiarity with TCP/IP protocols and network architecture; Understanding of security monitoring and log analysis
The syllabus
What you’ll learn
Every domain and objective GIAC (SANS) measures, with the weight they carry on the exam.
The official GIAC (SANS) exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
Network Fundamentals
- Concepts of TCP/IP and the Link Layer
- IP Headers
- IPv6
- TCP
- UDP and ICMP
Traffic Analysis and Tools
- Network Forensics and Traffic Analysis
- SiLK and Other Traffic Analysis Tools
- Tcpdump Filters
- Wireshark Fundamentals
IDS Concepts and Architecture
- IDS Fundamentals and Network Architecture
- Advanced IDS Concepts
- Intrusion Detection System Rules
Packet Analysis and Engineering
- Packet Engineering
- Fragmentation
- Application Protocols
On the day
The exam itself
Everything GIAC (SANS) publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
No mandatory prerequisites — this certification has no required predecessor exam or credential.
CertificationGIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst
Exam formatCyberLive (hands-on, performance-based)
Duration240 minutes
Questions106 questions
Passing score67%
DeliveryGIAC
LanguagesEnglish
PricingUS $499
After you pass
Where this credential goes next
The path GIAC (SANS) lays out, how the credential is kept, and where to book.
Step-by-step path to GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst
Credential earnedGIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst Certification Renewal and maintenance
GIAC certifications must be renewed every four years by earning 36 CPE credits or retaking the exam. Stay current with the latest technologies and maintain your certification.
Learn more about renewal requirements Lifecycle status
This certification is currently active and available. GIAC (SANS) maintains this certification to validate current skills and industry relevance.
Exam status: ActiveMaintained by GIAC (SANS)
Exam registration
Register for the exam through GIAC, GIAC (SANS)’s authorized testing partner.
Schedule your examVisit the official GIAC (SANS) certification page for exam policies and requirements.
View the official pageYour coach
And when you are serious, your coach Pip takes over
Your coach in the app reads what you have answered with the book closed and tells you one thing to do tonight. It will not count an answer you gave with the page open, and it will tell you when you are not ready.
See how the coach worksBefore you book
Questions people ask
How does the GCIA exam relate to the retired GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA) exam?
The GCIA exam is the current version of the GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst certification. There is no predecessor or replacement exam; the certification has been continuously offered under the same name.
Is there a hands-on component in the GCIA exam?
Yes, the GCIA exam uses the CyberLive format, which includes performance-based challenges in realistic lab environments. You will work with virtual machines and real security tools to complete tasks that validate your practical skills.
What is the retake policy for the GCIA exam?
GIAC allows candidates to retake the exam after a waiting period. Specific retake policies are detailed in the GIAC terms and conditions. It is recommended to review the official GIAC policies for the most current information.
Can I earn CPE credits for the GCIA certification by taking other GIAC exams?
Yes, passing other GIAC certification exams can earn CPE credits that count toward your GCIA renewal. The number of CPEs awarded depends on the certification level and the exam.
What job roles does the GCIA certification map to?
The GCIA certification is designed for practitioners responsible for intrusion detection, including system analysts, security analysts, network engineers and administrators, and hands-on security managers.
Are there any regional restrictions for taking the GCIA exam?
GIAC exams are available globally through online proctoring and onsite testing centers. Regional availability may vary, so it is recommended to check the GIAC website for the most current delivery options in your area.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 575 questions, free, no account needed.
The curriculum
The whole exam, mapped and written
Every domain, every objective, and every concept GIAC (SANS) measures — each one written out.
4domains
15objectives
137concepts
121free pages
The domains, and what sits inside them
Every objective below is a page you can open and practise now, without an account.
The official GIAC (SANS) exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
1Network Fundamentals203 questions
2Traffic Analysis and Tools154 questions
3IDS Concepts and Architecture102 questions
4Packet Analysis and Engineering116 questions
Not a table of contents
Every line on this map already opens
In front of every objective the practice pages are already there, free and without an account. This is one objective, opened.
Concepts of TCP/IP and the Link Layer9 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
42 questions on this objective, five to a page. Every range above is a real page, open now, with no account.
Reading the map is not the same as knowing the ground
The curriculum tells you what is on the exam. Proving you know it is a different job — and it is the one the closed-book run does.
Free questions
575 questions. No account, no card.
The whole bank is open. 5 questions to a page, every answer explained, and a discussion thread on each one.
575questions
121pages
15objectives
Freealways
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Network Fundamentals203 questions
2Traffic Analysis and Tools154 questions
3IDS Concepts and Architecture102 questions
What a practice page gives you
1Five to a page
Short enough to finish, long enough to matter.
2Every answer explained
Not only which one is right — why the others are wrong.
3A discussion on each
Ask, answer, and vote. Every question has its own thread.
A question, and the idea behind it
Every question comes from a concept
These are not trivia. Each one is written against a concept in the book, so when you get one wrong there is somewhere to go and find out why.
The visual book
See it once. Carry it into the exam.
The pages shown here come from our AI-900 book — an example of how each concept is written in plain language and, where the idea needs one, drawn as a full page you can take in at a glance.
137concepts
575free questions
Why a picture, and not another paragraph
Three reasons, and each one is a real finding rather than a slogan.
You can see it againThe whole idea at onceWhere it starts, what happens in the middle, what comes out, and the mistake to avoid.
Multimedia principle · MayerThe look-alikes sit togetherThe pairs the exam tests are drawn side by side, so the difference is seen, not told.
Dual coding · PaivioWhat one page is made of
You are never asked to read a poster here — only to see how one is built. After that, every other page is legible at a glance.
1A numbered strip on top
The idea as a sequence, followed with a finger before a word is read.
2Panels for the parts
What it is, how the machine learns it, when it is the right tool.
3The trap, framed
The distinction the exam tests, given its own box instead of buried in prose.
4One line at the bottom
The sentence to carry into the exam room.
Open book, on purpose
Answer it with the picture beside you
This is the part that teaches. The illustration and the written explanation stay where they are while you work, so a scenario stops being a memory test and becomes something you can simply look at.
It teaches · it does not count
A smartphone uses AI to unlock when the owner looks at the camera. Which AI capability is being used?
AImage classification
BFacial recognition
COptical character recognition
DObject detection
Look at the five steps. Detect finds a face, align straightens it, encode turns it into numbers, search compares it with a stored face, and decide answers one question: is this the same person? Classification would only say “a face”. Detection would only draw a box. Neither decides whose.
Then the page shuts, and it starts counting
The same questions come back with the book closed — that run is the one that counts. After it, your coach picks one thing for tonight, sized to the time you have, and brings pages back before you lose them.
Testing effect · Roediger & Karpicke 2006 · spacing effect · Cepeda et al. 2006
Official resources
Straight from GIAC (SANS)
Where the exam is defined, scheduled and scored.
1official link
137concepts mapped
The source
GIAC (SANS)’s own pages
We link to them rather than repeat them, so nothing here goes stale behind them.
Checked against the source
Every objective on the official GIAC (SANS) outline already has questions here
We build from the official skills outline, not from a summary of it — 15 objectives, 137 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When GIAC (SANS) changes the outline, this page changes with it.
15objectives on the outline→137concepts written→575free questions
An official page tells you what will be asked. It cannot tell you what you will get right.
That is the only question worth answering the night before, and no link answers it. You answer it by taking the questions with the book closed, and seeing what comes back.