GIAC (SANS)GIAC Security Operations Certified
The GIAC Security Operations Certified (GSOC) certification validates your ability to defend an enterprise using essential blue team incident response tools and techniques. Designed for security analysts, incident investigators, and SOC managers, GSOC proves you can run a modern security operations center with practical technical knowledge and advanced concepts. Earn it to differentiate yourself as a blue team leader ready to design, automate, and improve SOC operations under real-world pressure.
496 practice questions · Updated 2026-07-30
GSOC Curriculum
Every domain, objective, and concept the GSOC exam measures.
- Blue Team Roles and Responsibilities
- Defensive Strategy Fundamentals
- Incident Response Lifecycle
- Security Monitoring and Detection
- Threat Intelligence in Defense
- Defensive Tools and Technologies
- Communication and Collaboration in Defense
- Endpoint Defense Fundamentals
- Endpoint Threat Landscape
- Endpoint Protection Technologies
- Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
- Endpoint Hardening
- Endpoint Monitoring and Logging
- Endpoint Incident Response
- SOC Management Systems Overview
- SOC Roles and Responsibilities
- SOC Processes and Workflows
- SOC Metrics and KPIs
- SOC Tools and Technologies
- SOC Maturity Models
- SOC Governance and Compliance
- Network Traffic Capture
- Protocol Analysis
- Traffic Flow Analysis
- Packet Inspection
- Network Forensics
- Protocol Attack Identification
- Protocol Analysis Techniques
- Attack Signature Recognition
- Event Correlation for Protocol Attacks
- HTTP Request Structure
- HTTP Response Structure
- HTTP Methods and Status Codes
- HTTP Headers and Their Significance
- HTTP Session and Cookies
- HTTPS and TLS Basics
- TLS Handshake and Certificate Validation
- HTTP Authentication Mechanisms
- HTTP Request Smuggling
- HTTP Response Splitting
- SQL Injection via HTTP
- Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
- Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
- HTTP Header Injection
- Directory Traversal and Path Manipulation
- HTTP Parameter Pollution
- Malicious File Uploads
- Web Shells and Backdoors
- HTTP Botnets and Command & Control
- HTTP Tunneling and Covert Channels
- HTTP Anomaly Detection
- HTTP Log Analysis
- Tools for HTTP Analysis
- Event Interpretation Fundamentals
- Event Sources and Types
- Event Correlation
- Event Prioritization
- Event Contextualization
- Event Validation
- Event Documentation
- Intrusion Triage Fundamentals
- Alert Triage Process
- Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)
- Data Sources for Triage
- Triage Analysis Techniques
- Triage Decision Making
- Documentation and Reporting
- Triage Automation and Tooling
- Analytic Design Principles
- Data Source Selection
- Use Case Development
- Tuning Methodologies
- False Positive Reduction
- False Negative Reduction
- Performance Optimization
- Validation and Testing
- Continuous Improvement
- Documentation and Communication
- Operational Improvement Principles
- Continuous Improvement Cycle
- Metrics and KPIs for SOC
- Process Optimization Techniques
- Automation and Orchestration
- Training and Skill Development
- Feedback and Lessons Learned
- Tooling and Technology Upgrades
- Communication and Collaboration
- Change Management
Percentages reflect share of the current practice bank, not official exam weightings — no structured per-skill weight is published for GSOC, so none is invented.