Linux skills required for GSEC401 bootcamp

puckmungo

Hi everyone, I've been a lurker around these parts but I figured now was the time to finally join the community as I'm throwing myself into IT education (long overdue).

I'm going to be taking the GSEC401 Security Essentials bootcamp in a week or so and there's a module for Linux.

Just wanted to ask, what level of Linux skill will I require? I'm pretty new to it and I'm worried that without some level of proficiency, I'll miss out on all the good stuff the instructor will go through.

I also need to setup a laptop for the course that will require Windows 7 and Kali Linux, but all I have at the moment is a 2014 Macbook Air with about 4GB of RAM. Will this be enough to run it all without too much problem?

H3||scr3am

you should be able to virtualize both OSes on the airbook, but I'm not sure if linux will play nice with the wireless in the macbook air, you may want to look into that, I'm not sure if there is wireless workshop in that course/class, but make sure that everything functions in your Kali machine.

I haven't taken the GSEC course, and am jealous of you for doing so, once I find a company that will hire me and pay for such lavish training I will take full advantage of it Best of luck

5ekurity

The GSEC will walk you through Linux basics, so don't be too worried about that. It's all practical stuff and if you think about how it is similar / applicable to Windows systems, you won't have a problem. As far as your system goes, the RAM is the only bottleneck I can see.

fuz1on

It's really essential to security theory to understand how Linux/Unix-based variants differ from Win in regards to how they deal with memory allocation - buffer overflows.

Oracle VirtualBox to run Win7 and Kali VMs.

If you wanna dual-boot:

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rEFInd | SourceForge.net

ChooseLife

puckmungo wrote: »

what level of Linux skill will I require? I'm pretty new to it and I'm worried that without some level of proficiency, I'll miss out on all the good stuff the instructor will go through.

The concern is valid, some prior knowledge of Linux is required to make best use of the information in the module. I have seen that module going over some people's heads in the class. It's not rocket science though, you can review and disect it later.

Are you comfortable with other modules? If you are, and want to spend some time getting up to speed with Linux, go over the topics listed under 401.6 here:

https://www.sans.org/course/security-essentials-bootcamp-style

If you have questions, ask away! I'm a Linux(/security) engineer and I took SEC401 in 2013.

puckmungo

Thanks for all the responses guys.

I managed last night to get Windows 7 and Kali linux VM's to run on my Macbook Air with both guest OS'es and the host on the same subnet, so I think I should be okay for the course. 4GB ram is a little concerning, but I can't imagine we'll be doing anything too processor intensive.

I recently passed my CCNA, I have about 18 months of experience in the network space and about 7 years experience in IT support. I feel fairly comfortable with all of the modules listed in the GSEC401 exam with Linux being my weakest area. I did use Unix a few years ago during University and I've played around with it here and there, so it's not completely foreign to me but I still don't feel confident with it.

SANS has provided me with the On Demand materials already so I think I'll go through the Linux stuff now to prepare for the course.

puckmungo

H3||scr3am wrote: »

you should be able to virtualize both OSes on the airbook, but I'm not sure if linux will play nice with the wireless in the macbook air, you may want to look into that, I'm not sure if there is wireless workshop in that course/class, but make sure that everything functions in your Kali machine.

I haven't taken the GSEC course, and am jealous of you for doing so, once I find a company that will hire me and pay for such lavish training I will take full advantage of it Best of luck

In all my time in the industry, I have never had a company invest money in me to take a proper training course. I no longer have any expectations in my mind and have decided to take a more proactive approach in my own education, but we all know how expensive the SANS courses can be. I applied for the Work Study program months ago and was lucky enough to be offered a spot, so the course will cost signifcantly less than the full fee

I wasn't successful the first time I applied for it, but I kept at it and finally I managed to land a spot. Persistence (and a lot of desire) is the key!

ChooseLife

Best of luck!