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Pick up to 3 certifications and compare them side-by-side on cost, exam format, recertification, salary signal, quality, and domain coverage.
GIAC / SANS · professional
GCFAGIAC Certified Forensic Analyst
Advanced host forensics, memory analysis, timeline reconstruction.
Official pageComparing
GIAC / SANSGCFA
› Cost
Exam fee
GCFA$979
Exam fee
$979
Annual maintenance fee
GCFA—
Annual maintenance fee
—
3-year cost of ownership
GCFA$979
3-year cost of ownership
$979
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
GCFA71% (scaled per attempt)
Pass mark
71% (scaled per attempt)
Retake policy
GCFA$999 fee · 30d wait
Retake policy
$999 fee · 30d wait
Study time
GCFA150–250 hrs
Study time
150–250 hrs
Validity
GCFA4 yrs
Validity
4 yrs
CPE / yr
GCFA9 CPEs
CPE / yr
9 CPEs
Delivery
GCFAonline proctored
Delivery
online proctored
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
GCFA$110K – $160K
Range
$110K – $160K
Median
GCFA$130,000
Median
$130,000
Premium %
GCFA—
Premium %
—
Role context
GCFADFIR analyst / forensic examiner, US, 5+ years.
Role context
DFIR analyst / forensic examiner, US, 5+ years.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
GCFA9.0
Schema quality
9.0
Practice evidence
GCFA6.5
Practice evidence
6.5
Maintenance
GCFA8.5
Maintenance
8.5
Market recognition
GCFA8.5
Market recognition
8.5
Average
GCFA8.1
Average
8.1
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
GCFAGlobal · US · EU · UK
Recognition
Global · US · EU · UK
ISO 17024 accredited
GCFA✓
ISO 17024 accredited
✓
DoD 8140 baseline
GCFA✓
DoD 8140 baseline
✓
Holders worldwide
GCFA15,000
Holders worldwide
15,000
Current version
GCFA2024 FOR508 refresh (2024-08)
Current version
2024 FOR508 refresh (2024-08)
› Domain coverage
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
GCFA● core
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
● core
A7Incident Response & Forensics
GCFA● core
A7Incident Response & Forensics
● core
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