Heading to the SANS Orlando Immersion Training this Week: Thoughts to consider?

Mellow greetings-

I and another auditor are heading to the SANS Immersion Training this week. We are taking different tracks. I am going to attend the Web Application Security workshop and then the Auditing Networks, Perimeters & Systems boot camp. My partner is concentrating on "hacker" classes offered me'ah. I will share what information I can when I get back and let you all know how the training was like.

For any questions you may have check out http://www.sans.org/orlando05 for more information on the classes.

Now what is going to be really tough is that Disney World and all the other attractions are just a few miles away. I know - shut-up!

KuiXing-2005.

I attended the course in Seattle, WA and if you are attending one of their bootcamps you will not have the energy at the end of the day to do squat! They fill you with so much information it is a sensory overload and the only thing you can do is 1) drink, or 2) sleep. I presume that they offer the hands on course after the 8 hours of lecture and I recommend you do those. You will get a bunch of free tools and some really good hands on experience. Bring a router and some crossover cables so that you can network your table and DoS the **** out of each other but play by the rules because Ed S. will really tear you up!

P.S. Dont share the course material after, they will hunt you down!

Ah, I'm jealous! SANS training is usually top notch! I took the Security Essentials years ago, 6 day boot camp, 8-9 hours a day in class, 2-3 hours in lab each night. WOW what an eye opener.

Do keep us informed, and best of luck!

I did the immersion training at DC this year, man I hope you aren't counting on any freetime..it was brutal. Every morning 8 am to 5 pm, then a couple of hour break then more from 7pm to 9pm...I was happy to go back to work :)

Anyway, I took the forensics track and was quite pleased with it. It was much more technical than the other classes I had seen and it was alot more hands-on. Its not for the noobs, but I found it quite informative.

I'm jealous too: I got to go to Disney for SANS in April last year where I took the CISSP prep class with Eric Cole. SANS conferences/training is great!

I took Auditing Networks and it was EXCELLENT! I had Northcutt, Green, Marcheny, and Rhodes (web app) and they were good teachers. Haven't had the Web Security one from SANS but it looks like it's got some good material. I did attend a 2-day by Rhodes which was very good.

vlad is right: you wont have any energy for Disney...unfortunately. You'll feel like a vegetable/zombie/etc at end of the day. Even if you did have energy your brain wont function well enough to make a decision on what to do. I usually ended up wandering around to clear my head...grab a bite to eat (and drink of course) and just veg.

Also, there are usually sessions in the evening 7p-11p that youll probably want to attend if you are like me...sponge..want to soak all the information up you can.

Couple tips:
* DONT bring much to read...youll get plenty there
* Network with other classmates there: I met some real good people that I can bounce ideas off of and see how they've solved issues
* And last but not least: enjoy the knowledge...you'll feel good learning all of it

Like everyone says: it's INTENSE!

Enjoy the experience: you'll love it!

I went to SANS in Orlando last year and am going again this year. It is some of the best training I have ever been to. I hope to see you there.

Hello all-

Made it back! Umm-hmmm! That's good training. I have had training with various organizations, I would have to say, at this point, SANS is about the best and most intense. I attended a workshop and then a six day class (track), with a bootcamp every night. I may follow up with more detail, but I forgot to ask my instructors while there about sharing information, so I will e-mail them first and find out what I can divulge. I can tell you what workshop and track I attended and the instructors names, because they are also on the website: http://www.sans.org/orlando05/index.php

I attended the following:

Workshop: Web Application Security Workshop. Here's the link:

http://www.sans.org/orlando05/description.php?tid=113

The instructor was David Hoelzer and he was great, combining the lecture with examples and real world stories.

Track: 7 (Audit 507) Auditing Networks, Perimeters and Systems. Here's the link:

http://www.sans.org/orlando05/description.php?tid=131

The instructor was John Green and again excellent instruction and examples and hands-on work.

Again - I will follow up if I can on anything that I am allowed to divulge.

Also quick pros/cons in my view:

PROs
+ Excellent training - near the best, if not the best I have had yet
+ Intense training - we covered every page of every book (we had a book a day in the track)
+ Fun with Knoppix - if you never touched Linux before - and some in the class had not - the track immersed you in it and introduced the Knoppix CD concept. Link:
http://www.knoppix.org/
+ Giveaways - if you filled out a survey every day
+ Instuctors - knowledgeable, friendly and always willing to help - even after the conference!
+ Stephen Northcutt -- I have never seen a suit and sandles until this trip - amazingly smart guy
+ Networking - I handed out all of my cards and got an equal number back from other smart people and smart arshes in the class

CONs
- Cost - especially in these times - my classes cost @3,500 not including travel, lodging and meals.
- Intense training - it was too good to miss - so we did not get any sun (waa-waa-waa), or Disney or light for the most part - but again - too good to miss
- Some of the more technically astute class brethren noted that some of the network/firewall material was dated - being new to some of the areas in network security - I did not notice
- Giveaways - if you filled out a survey
- Know-it-alls there were some in every track - fortunately in ours they were mostly quiet but in my coworkers track - there were three people that always "knew better" than the instructor
- "Vendor expo" - @16 vendors I had never heard of (not does that mean anything - half the time I can barely remember what I had for breakfast) that loved scanning badges - I wonder if those people knew what comes with those vendors scanning badges as they try and get a pen or t-shirt?
- Family - I had mine come down and they went to Disney - they kept asking if I would have energy to do something after class all the time, while I appreciated them thinking of me, I had to keep saying "How about no, Scott [replace Scott with family member name]." You all were right - I was drained! Especially after bootcamp - I checked every night to see if my head formed a vacumm yet.

Well all-in-all it was great and I met a Canadian who swears more than I do, which is a feat in itself because we were competing with how to use the f-bomb throughout the day - and she beat me - and I was in the military! Great teaching, great hands-on, and great networking!

Last thing - my coworker had an instructor that would relate everything, and I mean everything to something in "The Matrix." I tried to feed my coworker some Matrix lines to be a wisenheimer, but he said the instructor already used those to be funny. Oy!

Quote:

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Stephen Northcutt -- I have never seen a suit and sandles until this trip - amazingly smart guy

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I'm envious. I've always wanted to meet Northcutt. I've read all 3 editions of Network Intrusion Detection (they've become so frayed I've picked up 2nd copies of 2nd and 3rd Editions).

*sigh*

:(

Yanno, I think JupMedia should start sponsoring selected members to these things - it'd be good PR for Jup and the site, benefit the site by adding knowledge to its members, and benefit the member by letting him experience something of this nature. I don't really see it happening, but it'd still be a cool thing.

Quote:

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Yanno, I think JupMedia should start sponsoring selected members to these things - it'd be good PR for Jup and the site, benefit the site by adding knowledge to its members, and benefit the member by letting him experience something of this nature. I don't really see it happening, but it'd still be a cool thing.

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Actually - that is a good idea. If something could be worked about by a JupMedia and a Conference provider (like SANS) it would work to promote both organizations. One way that could work is to have the person(s) attending a conference on behalf of AO/JupMedia is to have a blog or thread back to here with what is going on, lessons learned, possible trends, maybe news from other organizations, and rating the overall experience. To help validate the idea - JupMedia could send one of their one of their own and report back. Or they could also with another known personality within this community - like Negative, MsMittens or one of the many other experts.

I wonder what JupMedia officials would think about this - hmmm.

Ugh...my local ISSA chapter (one of the biggest and most active in the country) used to entice Sans into coming to our town...they come to a city close by regularly, cuz it's pretty big, but our city is a bit smaller and less of a draw. Anyway, leveraging the ISSA name, we'd get 20% discounts. Throw in my employer paying 50%, and that is quite a bargain. :D

You always get a few know-it-alls in any class, and while I can appreciate the active discussion of diverging points of view, when I pay that much for a class, it's time to SHUT YOUR PIE HOLE! Definitely a con, but one that can (usually) be worked around. In my GSEC class we had a gray-hat (I think he was a blackie in disguise, personally) who did this...and finally got shut down by the professor.

Good stuff!