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 Reverse Engineering Malware
The GIAC Reverse Engineering Malware (GREM) certification validates your ability to analyze and reverse-engineer malicious software targeting common platforms like Microsoft Windows and web browsers. Designed for technologists who protect their organizations from malicious code, GREM proves you can examine malware's inner workings in the context of forensic investigations, incident response, and Windows system administration. Earning GREM demonstrates hands-on, real-world malware analysis skills that are essential for defending against today's threats.
Exam formatCyberLive: Hands-on testing with performance-based challenges in realistic lab environments
Duration180 minutes
DeliveryGIAC
Passing score73%
Free questions593
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What GIAC Reverse Engineering Malware 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.
5domains
15objectives
117concepts
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 Reverse Engineering Malware (GREM) certification validates a practitioner's ability to examine the inner workings of malware in the context of forensic investigations, incident response, and Windows system administration. It is designed for technologists who protect their organizations from malicious code, showing that these individuals possess the knowledge and skills to reverse-engineer malicious software that targets common platforms, such as Microsoft Windows and web browsers.
GREM covers malware analysis using code and behavioral analysis fundamentals, Windows Assembly concepts for reverse engineering, in-depth analysis of malicious executables and self-defending malware, and analysis of malicious document files, .NET programs, and protected executables. The certification is delivered through GIAC's CyberLive format, which replaces traditional multiple-choice testing with performance-based challenges in realistic lab environments, validating real-world capability with virtual machines, real security tools, and authentic code.
Who it’s for
The GREM certification is for system and network administrators, auditors, security consultants and managers, and technologists looking to formalize and expand their expertise in malware analysis. It is also ideal for forensic investigators and security practitioners looking to expand their skillsets, as well as individuals who have dealt with incidents involving malware. If you are responsible for protecting your organization from malicious code and need to understand how malware works to defend against it, GREM provides the validation you need.
Recommended experience
Practical work experience in information security, particularly in areas related to malware analysis, incident response, or system administration, is recommended. College-level courses or self-paced study through other programs or materials may also help you master the necessary skills. Experience with Windows system administration and common malware characteristics; Familiarity with basic programming concepts and assembly language; Understanding of network protocols and web technologies; Exposure to forensic investigations or incident response processes
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
Malware Analysis Fundamentals
- Malware Analysis Fundamentals
- Behavioral Analysis Fundamentals
- Static Analysis Fundamentals
Core Reverse Engineering Concepts
- Core Reverse Engineering Concepts
- Reversing Functions in Assembly
- Malware Flow Control and Structures
Malware Patterns and Obfuscation
- Common Malware Patterns
- Analyzing Obfuscated Malware
- Overcoming Misdirection Techniques
Document and File Analysis
- Analyzing Malicious Office Macros
- Analyzing Malicious PDFs
- Analyzing Malicious RTF Files
Advanced Malware Analysis
- Examining .NET Malware
- Unpacking and Debugging Packed Malware
- Identifying and Bypassing Anti-Analysis Techniques
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 Reverse Engineering Malware
Exam formatCyberLive: Hands-on testing with performance-based challenges in realistic lab environments
Duration180 minutes
Questions66 questions
Passing score73%
DeliveryGIAC
LanguagesEnglish
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 Reverse Engineering Malware
Credential earnedGIAC Reverse Engineering Malware 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 GREM exam relate to other GIAC certifications?
GREM is a Practitioner-level certification. It can be combined with other GIAC certifications to build a portfolio toward the GIAC Security Professional (GSP) or GIAC Security Expert (GSE) credentials.
Is the GREM exam hands-on?
Yes, the GREM exam uses the CyberLive format, which includes performance-based challenges in realistic lab environments with virtual machines, real security tools, and authentic code.
How do I schedule my GREM exam?
After your application is approved and payment is processed, your certification attempt is activated in your GIAC account. You will receive an email notification and can then schedule your proctored exam through GIAC's delivery partners.
What are the proctoring options for the GREM exam?
GIAC offers two proctoring options: remote proctoring through ProctorU and onsite proctoring through PearsonVUE.
How long do I have to complete my GREM exam attempt after registration?
You have 120 days from the date of activation to complete your certification attempt.
What job roles does the GREM certification map to?
GREM is designed for system and network administrators, auditors, security consultants and managers, forensic investigators, and security practitioners who deal with malware incidents.
Can I renew my GREM certification by passing a different GIAC exam?
Yes, GIAC allows renewal by retaking the GREM exam or by earning 36 CPE credits. Passing a different GIAC exam may also earn CPE credits toward renewal.
Are there any regional restrictions for taking the GREM exam?
GIAC exams are available globally through remote proctoring and onsite proctoring at PearsonVUE test centers, subject to availability.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 593 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.
5domains
15objectives
117concepts
126free 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
1Malware Analysis Fundamentals123 questions
2Core Reverse Engineering Concepts88 questions
3Malware Patterns and Obfuscation130 questions
4Document and File Analysis139 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.
Malware Analysis Fundamentals6 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
28 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
593 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.
593questions
126pages
15objectives
Freealways
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Malware Analysis Fundamentals123 questions
2Core Reverse Engineering Concepts88 questions
3Malware Patterns and Obfuscation130 questions
4Document and File Analysis139 questions
5Advanced Malware Analysis113 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.
117concepts
593free 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
117concepts 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, 117 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→117concepts written→593free 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.