Blog on JournalCTL

How to Build a GIAC Index That Actually Works

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 10:51:36 +1000

TL;DR

GIAC exams are open-book, but time pressure requires a fast, searchable index to pass cleanly.

A proven 4-phase indexing workflow (Read, Capture, Refine, Test) used to score 90%+ on GSEC and GCIH.

Focus on high-value keywords, exact command syntaxes, and book page numbers over long summaries.

Open-book sounds like a gift. In practice, it isn’t â€” not if you haven’t built a proper GIAC index before walking in.

GIAC exams are timed, scenario-heavy, and cover material spread across five or more books. If you’re stopping to flip through a book every few questions, you’ll run out of time long before you run out of questions. As a result, the open-book format rewards people who built an index, not people who skimmed the material and assumed they could just look things up.

PowerShell Basics #2: The Help System

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 09:50:35 +1000

TL;DR

Experts don’t memorize thousands of cmdlets â€” they use the built-in help system.

Always run Update-Help -Force as administrator to download local help documentation.

Master the 4-step terminal discovery pattern: Get-Command, help, help -Parameter, help -Examples.

Experts don’t memorise thousands of PowerShell commands. Don Jones and Jeff Hicks cite a study in Learn PowerShell in a Month of Lunches â€” two groups of IT pros, beginners and experts, sat a written test on PowerShell. Scores were similar across both groups. Then they ran the test again with access to a running PowerShell session. The gap between the two groups became significant. The difference? Experts knew how to use the help system to find answers on the fly.

PowerShell Basics #1: Setting Up Your Environment

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 10:33:22 +1000

TL;DR

PowerShell is a cross-platform, object-oriented shell & scripting language for Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Install PowerShell 7+ Core via Winget alongside Windows Terminal for the optimal command-line experience.

Understand the difference between legacy Windows PowerShell 5.1 and modern cross-platform PowerShell 7+.

PowerShell is a command-line shell and scripting language from Microsoft for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It helps automate administrative tasks and manage infrastructure cleanly.

Command-line shell: Interactive prompt with tab completion & predictive IntelliSense
Scripting language: Write complete, reusable scripts (.ps1) to automate complex workflows
Object-oriented: Commands (cmdlets) pass rich .NET objects through the pipeline, not raw text strings
Cross-platform: Runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS (PowerShell 7+)

Windows PowerShell 5.1 vs. PowerShell 7+
#

Feature	Windows PowerShell 5.1	PowerShell 7+ (Core)
Underlying Engine	.NET Framework (Windows only)	.NET 8+ (Cross-platform)
Supported OS	Windows 7 / 10 / 11 / Server	Windows, Linux, macOS
Performance	Standard	High performance & parallel pipeline (ForEach-Object -Parallel)
Executable Name	powershell.exe	pwsh.exe

Note: Windows PowerShell 5.1 comes built into Windows and will remain for backward compatibility. Modern automation should target PowerShell 7+ (pwsh.exe).

My Journey to GCIH Certification

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 11:06:21 +1000

TL;DR

The SANS GCIH (SEC504) covers incident response, hacker techniques, exploits, and live forensics.

Preparation requires an in-depth index, hands-on workbook auditing, and strategic practice test timing.

Passed at 90%+ score as part of the SANS Technology Institute Master’s Degree program.