Prove you are an elite responder, equipped to elevate team performance with hands-on expertise in attacker behavior and response orchestration.
The GIAC Experienced Incident Handler (GX-IH) certification validates a practitioner’s superior incident response skills. GX-IH certification holders are prepared to take teams to the next level with command of hands-on attacker techniques combined with incident response tools and practices.
Areas Covered
- Incident handling and computer crime investigation
- Computer and network hacker exploits
- Reconnaissance and in-depth analysis of attacks, infrastructure, and vulnerabilities
Who is GX-IH for?
- Experts in hacker techniques and incident response
- Practitioners with a strong desire to demonstrate superior hands-on capabilities and expand their professional portfolios
- GCIH certification holders who have gained additional experience
CyberLive: Real labs. Real tools. Real skills.
CyberLive is a hands-on exam format that replaces traditional multiple-choice testing with performance-based challenges in realistic lab environments to validate real-world capability.
Virtual Machines:
Full-scale lab systems that behave like physical computers: install, attack, defend, and run services.
Real Security Tools:
Exact tools used by professionals every day including all the quirks and challenges
Authentic Code:
Real code, real exploits, real impacts
“Testimonial
The questions challenged me, like I experience in my consulting work every day. It's hard to imagine a more real-world exam.”
Exam Format
- 1 proctored exam
- Open book, open notes
- Time limit 4 hour
- 25 CyberLive - hands-on, real-world practical testing. CyberLive testing creates a lab environment where cyber practitioners prove their knowledge, understanding, and skill using:
- Actual programs
- Actual code
- Virtual machines
Find out more about CyberLive here.
NOTE: GIAC reserves the right to change the specifications for each certification without notice.To verify the format read the Certification Information found in your account at https://exams.giac.org/pages/attempts.
Certification Delivery
GIAC certification attempts will be activated in your GIAC account after your application has been approved and according to the terms of your purchase. Details on delivery will be provided along with your registration confirmation upon payment. You will receive an email notification when your certification attempt has been activated in your account. You will have 120 days from the date of activation to complete your certification attempt.
NOTE: All GIAC Certification exams are web-based and required to be proctored. There are two proctoring options: remote proctoring through ProctorU, and onsite proctoring through PearsonVUE. Click here for more information.
Exam Certification Objectives & Outcome Statements
- Command-Line Security and AnalysisThe candidate will review a history of commands and determine the purpose of an attacker's work, use netcat, and analyze Windows Alternate Data Streams for hidden data
- In-Depth Attack AnalysisThe candidate will perform a multi-part attack or task, centering on both Windows and Linux/Unix-based skills.
- Incident InvestigationThe candidate will investigate a Linux system, examine a compromised Windows machine, and search through logs or performing live analysis on a computer to identify the scope or nature of an incident.
- Infrastructure AnalysisThe candidate will perform cloud scanning, vulnerability assessment, and collect information using the DNS protocol
- Password Attacks and AnalysisThe candidate will perform a password guessing attack and perform analysis on a password attack based on log files or system tools.
- PivotingThe candidate will pivot through a middle point to a target.
- Protocol Security and AttacksThe candidate will review vulnerabilities with an expert perspective, including the ability to verify and prioritize vulnerabilities and identify false positives, and perform tasks to identify vulnerabilities and security improvements in services like SMB, FTP/SFTP, SCP.
- ReconnaissanceThe candidate will run a scan against a local host or network for open ports.
- Website SecurityThe candidate will perform web application and injection attacks against a website
Demo Questions
- These questions allow a candidate to experience the exam style and complexity in the environment used during the certification exam.
- Demo questions are never included in the actual certification exam.
- The demo question set includes 3 questions, and the student has 45 minutes to complete. Note that the average time per question is not as fast paced as the actual exam attempt.
- Limited demo questions per exam are available so you will receive repetitive questions if multiple Demo Questions are purchased.
- Demo questions are nontransferable.
- Purchase GX-IH demo questions here.
Other Resources
- Affiliate Training - SEC504 (Primary fit course*), SEC450, SEC501, SEC503, SEC560, FOR610, FOR508, FOR500
- Practical work experience can help ensure that you have mastered the skills necessary for certification.
- Get information about the procedure to contest exam results.
*Courses that include a "primary fit course" designation have the most closely aligned content but do not include all of the content, tools, and platforms that could be included in testing on the Applied Knowledge exam.