The AAISM is ISACA’s Advanced in AI Security Management credential, and new is the word that explains most of what follows. New exam, new training materials, new subject matter that is changing faster than any of them can keep up with. I passed it in July 2026. The credential is worth holding and the training was worth buying – but all of it still has the rough edges of a first edition, and the honest way to review it is as one.
I recently took and passed the GCFA certification exam for forensic analysis. It was an interesting and educational experience, touching on logfile analysis, memory forensics, deep filesystem analysis, and timeline generation. Most of the content focused on Windows (event logs, NTFS filesystem formats, etc); I’m looking forward to finding a matching course with a Linux focus.
I recently took and passed the ISC2 CISSP . The certification covered a broad range of topics, most of which I was already familiar with from experience as a software engineer. Those areas I was less familiar with included legal and procedural requirements around risk assessment, physical security, and the theory behind encryption and permissions management.
I recently took and passed the GCIH Certification . It’s primarily focused on understanding how attackers behave, the tools they use, and why those tools do the things they do.