Master the fundamentals of cybersecurity

The SANS Foundations course helps businesses, government bodies and academic institutions recruit, train and re-skill cybersecurity professionals.

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Cybersecurity has never mattered more

The industry has seen a huge increase in demand for cybersecurity experts to help organisations face their modern adversaries. But as cybersecurity is a constantly growing industry, and with multiple courses available for those embarking on a cybersecurity career to consider, it's impossible to know where to start.

8 in 10
Organizations suffer breaches attributed to a lack of cybersecurity skills/awareness

Source: Fortune

33%
Projected growth in cybersecurity job market over 10 years

Source: BLS

$9.44m
Average cost of a data breach in the US in 2022

Source: IBM

41%
Increase in business ransomware attacks in 2022

Source: Security Intelligence

SANS Foundations is the most comprehensive, certified cybersecurity course for beginners

The course is created by experts, perfectly balanced between interactive learning, hands-on labs, and practical exercises across 13 cyber-specialist areas, going far beyond what is offered by any other foundational cybersecurity course.

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Self-paced interactive learning

Learn your way, at your own pace - with immersive videos and interactive labs

With engaging 4K video lectures, walk-through demonstrations, more than 60 hands-on labs, with audio recordings and knowledge checks throughout, you can learn however works best for you.

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I think the SANS foundations course is probably the pinnacle of what online learning can be. Even though I had a strong grasp of most IT fundamentals, I found myself challenged in areas I hadn't explored before.

Jake Danuser

Network Admin

Very well rounded fundamentals course! I feel like I learned a lot more because the course covers so much different material that are related and build on each other to give you the big picture. Highly recommended!

Matthew Draga

SANS Foundations Student

Hands-on lab environments

Embedded labs to help master the practical skills

Learn how to navigate Linux, write computer programs in C and Python, and run common exploits, all from a safe space in your web browser.

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The security labs were my personal favorite as the skills attained through those helped me land a role as a vulnerability analyst in the information security office!

Kirti Nangia

SANS Foundations Student

The way the material was explained and the hands-on labs truly makes Foundations the best technical course I ever had.

Ahmed Jahaf

SANS Foundations Student

The highest standard

Learn from the best in the business with SANS CTO James Lyne

Founded in 1989, SANS are respected leaders in cybersecurity education. In this course the SANS Chief Technical Officer and certified instructor James Lyne shares his extensive industry experience with an engaging teaching style and expert instruction.

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James Lyne is a ROCKSTAR! Great material and great delivery. Super knowledgeable and experienced. Thoroughly enjoyed this class.

Scott Sivulich

SANS Foundations Student

SANS Foundations has helped me learn the fundamentals of IT and Cybersecurity with great ease! James Lyne is a genius in his field and an excellent teacher in this course!

Andrew Kamlet

SANS Foundations Student

Certified in four months

Join the 1,300+ people we’ve already certified

Cybersecurity professionals ranked GIAC certifications as the most valued certifications when selecting job candidates for interviews.
Source: The CIO Institute.

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I have the confidence that the foundations have set the stage to not only complete my program at SANS but also have a rewarding career within the cybersecurity industry. I cannot recommend this course and program enough!

Myles Flott

SANS Foundations Student

I would highly recommend SANS Foundations for beginners and intermediate cyber professionals who want to revisit the fundamentals and establish a solid base of knowledge to build your career on top of.

Austin Warden

Cyber Security Professional

What we cover

Leading SANS instructors have carefully crafted a syllabus to cover the fundamentals needed for a successful career in cybersecurity.

Computer Components & Concepts

  • Data Storage and Representation
  • Logic and Data Manipulation
  • Storing Data and Files
  • Cloud Computing

OS and Virtualization

  • Operating Systems
  • Virtualization

Linux

  • The Linux Environment
  • Linux Navigation
  • Linux Commands
  • Linux Architecture and Components

Networking Fundamentals and the Web

  • Networking
  • Search Superpowers
  • WWW and Serving

Servers and Services

  • Web Servers
  • Database Servers
  • DNS Servers
  • Log Servers
  • Email Servers
  • Synchronisation Servers

Practical Programming and Concepts

  • Programming

SQL

  • MySQL Basic Statements
  • MySQL Joins
  • MySQL Operators
  • MySQL Database Admin

Windows Foundations

  • Windows Permissions
  • The Windows CLI
  • Scripting Windows

Advanced Computer Hardware

  • CPU & Memory
  • Monitoring Execution
  • Advanced Storage
  • Containers

Security Concepts

  • Encryption
  • Security
  • Security Distributions
  • Reconnaissance
  • Forensics

Offensive Security Concepts

  • Exploitation
  • Privilege Escalation

Network and Computer Infiltration

  • Persistence
  • Lateral Movement
  • Exfiltration

I loved the intro to python, the info on setting up custom shell environments for productivity, and the intro to RAM, C, shellcode exploits, etc. I'm amazed how much was covered, how well everything was covered, and how comfortable I felt afterwards trying out a lot more on my own, despite having felt some hesitancy about some of these topics previously.

Austin Warden

Cyber Security Student

SANS Foundations has given me the platform and tools I need to learn at my own speed, connect with Subject Matter Experts without difficulty, and access on-demand learning resources whenever I want to put what I've learned into practice.

Henry Scott IV

Foundations Student

The SANS Foundations training is world-class, superb platform!

Alex Rodriguez

Foundations Student

The course is very comprehensive and has given me a better understanding of how IT and security are interconnected. I had many 'light bulb' moments going through the course.

Audrey Nelson Salmon

Foundations Student

Highly recommend this course for anyone who is interested in a career in Cyber Security. Excellent for beginners through to those who already work in IT.

Kerry Eaton

Foundations Student

If you have no background in computing, this is a great course to give you a foundation necessary for developing more advanced skills and gaining more advanced knowledge.

Jason Jordaan

Foundations Student

SANS Foundations has helped me learn the fundamentals of IT and Cybersecurity with great ease! James Lyne is a genius in his field and an excellent teacher in this course!

Andrew Kamlet

Foundations Student

I have learnt more in this course than a year's worth of experience. It has filled in many gaps in my knowledge.

Daniel King

Foundations Student

All of the course materials were clear, concise, and had plenty of down to earth explanations of complicated cyber security concepts. Overall I would highly recommend SANS Foundations for beginners and intermediate cyber professionals who want to revisit the fundamentals and establish a solid base of knowledge to build your career on top of.

Austin Warden

Cyber Security Professional

The SANS Foundations course helped me land my dream cybersecurity internship as it built my knowledge in core computer hardware/software modules along with security fundamentals.

Kirti Nangia

Vulnerability Analyst

99 of the Fortune 100 employ cybersecurity professionals trained by SANS. Join them.

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