GXPN
GIAC Exploit Researcher and Advanced Penetration Tester · GIAC
The GXPN validates advanced offensive skills: writing exploits for Linux and Windows, bypassing memory protections, return-oriented programming, fuzzing, network manipulation and endpoint control evasion. It is one of GIAC’s most demanding certifications and is valued in red teams and vulnerability research. Its strength is technical depth rarely tested elsewhere; its limit is a small audience, and the OffSec OSED and OSEP are more often cited by French employers.
- Exam
- 60 questions in 3 h, pass mark 67%. Open book (paper only), with hands-on CyberLive questions in a virtual machine. Taken remotely (ProctorU) or in a Pearson VUE centre.
- Exam price
- $999Same price with or without SANS training. The associated SANS course (SEC660) costs about US$8,780.
- Required experience
- No formal prerequisite for the certification, but SANS expects SEC560 or equivalent experience before SEC660. Assembly, debugging and scripting are essential.
- Validity and maintenance
- Valid 4 years. Renew with 36 CPE credits over the period and a US$499 fee (US$249 for each further renewal registered within two years of the first), or by passing the current exam again.
- Format
- Multiple choice and hands-on
- Recognition
- DoD 8140 approved
Who is it for?
Experienced penetration testers, red teamers and vulnerability researchers who already master classic pentesting and want to move on to exploit development.
Domains covered
- Network access and infrastructure manipulation
- Traffic interception and endpoint control evasion
- Practical cryptography and offensive scripting
- Fuzzing, including source-code fuzzing
- Linux and Windows memory, execution and shellcode
- Stack overflows and return-oriented programming
- Bypassing Linux and Windows exploit mitigations
Nestor’s take
Information checked on 2 October 2026 against the official site. Prices exclude tax and training, and may change.
The certification names mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners. KrakenShield is not affiliated with any certification body and does not reproduce any exam question.
