GWEB
GIAC Certified Web Application Defender
Defender-side AppSec — OWASP Top 10, API security, secure design patterns.
› Quality score
Four-axis SecProve rubric, each 0–10. SecProve editorial assessment — each axis carries a written justification so you can push back on any single call without dismissing the whole score.
› Market signals
public, citable inputs to the recognition score› Built for these roles
› Exam format
Open-book MCQ exam, 75 questions over 3 hours, online proctored.
30-day wait. SANS course bundles typically include 2 attempts.
› Recertification
36 CPE credits over four years (avg 9/yr) plus the $499 renewal fee per cycle.
› NICE Framework work roles
The NIST NICE work-role IDs this cert maps to. NICCS lookup.
› Core domains covered
The 1 domain this cert is centrally about. Passing the exam demonstrates working knowledge of each.
› Also touched
Present in the blueprint but not the primary focus — you’ll be introduced but shouldn’t expect depth.
› Prerequisites
Hands-on software development or web-app security experience. Reads and writes code comfortably.
- OWASP Top 10 and common web-vuln classes
- Secure-design patterns for web apps and APIs
- Authentication, session management, access control
› Progression
requiredrecommendedWhere this cert fits in the typical learning path. Required edges are vendor-gated; recommended edges reflect de facto industry progression.
No vendor-gated prereqs.
No certs require this one.
No follow-on certs reference this one yet.
› Study materials
Curated starting points. Not exhaustive — vet each against your learning style and the current exam version.
- SANS SEC522 Course Materials — SANS
- GIAC Practice Tests (2 included with exam)
› Version & lifecycle
› Salary signal
Web application security engineer, US, 4-6 years.
Robert Half Salary Guide · 2024 · US base only · p25–p75 range
› How it compares
GWEB is web-app-specific defensive practice; CSSLP is broader secure-SDLC across all app types.
↔ Compare side-by-side› Careers that commonly pursue this cert
Embed security into the software development lifecycle. Shift left to catch vulnerabilities before they reach production.
Embedded in a product team — owns threat modelling, secure design, libraries, dependency risk, and increasingly the AI-specific hardening of LLM features the product ships.
See this cert’s domains highlighted on the interactive map, or compare it against the rest of the catalog.