Certified: The GIAC GCCC Audio Course

Jason Edwards
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GCCC is a control-first security course built for busy professionals who want practical mastery of the CIS Controls v8 and the real-world workflows that make them stick. You’ll learn how to inventory assets and software with confidence, harden configurations without breaking operations, manage vulnerabilities with proof-based closure, and turn logging into outcomes through centralized collection, correlation, and sustainable alerting. The course also covers malware defense as layered prevention plus rapid containment, data protection through classification, access boundaries, and safe retention, and recovery readiness with RPO/RTO planning, backup isolation, and restore testing. You’ll strengthen governance across identity and access management, change control, third-party risk, awareness programs that drive behavior change, incident response readiness and execution, and how to use testing results to improve controls over time. Every lesson stays exam-focused while keeping the emphasis on operational evidence, measurable effectiveness, and decision-making under pressure—so you’re not just memorizing terms, you’re learning how to run the controls in production with confidence.

  1. EPISODE 1

    Episode 1 — Decode the GCCC blueprint: domains, scoring, pacing, and what 71% demands

    This episode focuses on interpreting the GCCC exam blueprint so you can study with precision instead of guesswork. You’ll break down how domains shape the question mix, what a passing score means in practical terms, and how pacing decisions affect outcomes when time pressure builds. We’ll translate “71%” into a performance target by discussing consistency across domains, avoiding preventable misses, and recognizing when a question is testing definitions versus applied judgment. You’ll also learn exam-day tactics like timeboxing per block of questions, identifying high-effort traps, and using a disciplined second-pass review to recover points without running out of time. Finally, we connect blueprint awareness to real work by showing how control intent and operational evidence commonly appear in scenario-style prompts. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.

    14 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    Episode 2 — Build an audio-first study plan: recall cycles, review rhythm, and exam-day flow

    This episode builds an audio-first study plan designed for busy schedules while still meeting GCCC performance demands. You’ll learn how to structure short, repeatable recall cycles that force active retrieval, not passive listening, and how to set a weekly review rhythm that prevents forgetting from compounding. We’ll define what “good repetition” looks like using spaced review, mixed practice across domains, and quick self-check prompts that mimic exam constraints. You’ll also shape an exam-day flow plan: sleep, nutrition, warm-up recall, and a simple pre-exam checklist that reduces cognitive load when the first questions feel unfamiliar. Troubleshooting is included, such as what to do when you keep missing the same control concepts, how to tighten your error log, and how to pivot your next week’s plan based on measurable weak areas instead of vibes. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.

    12 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    Episode 3 — Understand CIS Controls v8 history, purpose, and how the model is organized

    This episode explains CIS Controls v8 in a way that supports both exam recall and practical implementation discussions. You’ll cover why the Controls exist, how they evolved from earlier versions, and what “prioritized, safeguard-focused guidance” means when an organization needs defensible security improvements. We’ll walk through the structure of the model, including Controls, Safeguards, and how grouping and sequencing help teams execute in manageable steps. You’ll learn how to answer exam questions that test intent, like distinguishing a Control’s goal from a specific Safeguard activity, and how to avoid confusion when similar-sounding safeguards appear across different areas. Real-world examples include aligning a small organization’s first steps versus a larger enterprise’s scaling approach, and how to use the Controls to communicate with leadership without turning the program into a paperwork exercise. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.

    11 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    Episode 4 — Map CIS Controls to major security standards and governance expectations

    This episode connects CIS Controls v8 to the standards and governance expectations you’ll see referenced in GCCC-style thinking. You’ll learn why mapping matters, how organizations use crosswalks to avoid duplicate work, and what auditors and risk leaders expect when they ask, “Show me how your controls align to frameworks.” We’ll discuss how CIS Controls can support programs aligned to common standards, and how to interpret mapping language so you do not confuse a policy requirement with an operational safeguard. You’ll practice translating a safeguard into evidence artifacts, such as logs, configuration reports, access reviews, and remediation tickets, which helps on exam questions that test “what proves the control is working.” Troubleshooting covers pitfalls like treating a mapping table as a guarantee of compliance, or assuming a control exists because a policy document mentions it, when the exam often wants operational reality and verification. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.

    13 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    Episode 5 — Operationalize CIS Controls governance: owners, metrics, reporting, and accountability

    This episode turns CIS Controls from a reference document into a governed program that survives staff changes and competing priorities. You’ll define governance in practical terms: named owners, clear decision rights, and a repeatable cadence for measuring progress and handling exceptions. We’ll cover how to assign ownership so it matches where work actually happens, how to build metrics that show control outcomes instead of vanity counts, and how to report upward without drowning leadership in technical detail. You’ll also learn how accountability differs from responsibility, which often appears in exam questions as a subtle but important distinction. Scenarios include handling a control that spans security and IT operations, resolving conflicts when owners disagree on risk acceptance, and building an exception process that documents scope, duration, compensating safeguards, and revalidation so “temporary” does not become permanent drift. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.

    12 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    Episode 6 — Define enterprise asset scope: what counts, why it matters, who owns accuracy

    This episode defines enterprise asset scope in a way that supports both exam questions and day-to-day security operations. You’ll clarify what “enterprise assets” include, such as endpoints, servers, cloud workloads, network devices, and managed services, and why scope errors cause control failures downstream. We’ll explain how asset scope ties directly to coverage-based questions, like whether vulnerability scanning or configuration management is meaningful when the inventory is incomplete. You’ll learn ownership models for inventory accuracy, including who approves scope changes, who maintains authoritative sources, and how to handle shared responsibilities between IT, security, and business units. Real-world examples include acquisitions, shadow IT, and cloud sprawl, where assets appear faster than governance can respond. Troubleshooting focuses on recognizing symptoms of inventory gaps, like inconsistent agent coverage, missing tags, or “unknown device” alerts that never get resolved into ownership and lifecycle tracking. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.

    10 min

  7. EPISODE 7

    Episode 7 — Discover enterprise assets continuously using multiple sources and reconciliation discipline

    This episode focuses on continuous asset discovery, emphasizing how multiple data sources reduce blind spots but introduce reconciliation challenges. You’ll learn why single-source inventory approaches fail at scale, and how to combine signals from DHCP, DNS, directory services, endpoint management tools, cloud control planes, and network monitoring to improve completeness. We’ll define reconciliation as the process of deduplicating, matching identities, resolving conflicts, and deciding which system is authoritative for each attribute. Exam relevance shows up in questions about coverage, control validation, and the difference between “detected once” versus “managed as an ongoing lifecycle.” Scenarios include a device that appears in network logs but not in endpoint tools, and how to resolve whether it is unmanaged, misclassified, or truly unauthorized. Troubleshooting includes handling naming inconsistencies, stale records, and incomplete tagging, along with practical routines for setting thresholds, triage queues, and ownership follow-ups so discovery turns into action. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.

    10 min

  8. EPISODE 8

    Episode 8 — Validate enterprise asset inventory quality with drift checks and audit-ready evidence

    This episode teaches you how to validate inventory quality rather than assuming an inventory tool is correct because it produces a list. You’ll define what “quality” means for asset data: completeness, accuracy, timeliness, uniqueness, and traceable ownership, all of which influence downstream controls like scanning, patching, and incident response. We’ll cover drift checks that compare expected versus observed assets, such as agent coverage reports, network discovery deltas, and cloud account resource changes, and how to turn those checks into a repeatable control routine. Exam relevance appears in questions asking what evidence proves a control is operating, not merely documented. You’ll also learn how to produce audit-ready evidence, including change records, reconciliation logs, exception approvals, and periodic review results. Troubleshooting scenarios include stale assets that never decommission, “ghost” records after reimaging, and environments where asset identity changes frequently, requiring durable identifiers and disciplined lifecycle processes. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.

    11 min
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About

GCCC is a control-first security course built for busy professionals who want practical mastery of the CIS Controls v8 and the real-world workflows that make them stick. You’ll learn how to inventory assets and software with confidence, harden configurations without breaking operations, manage vulnerabilities with proof-based closure, and turn logging into outcomes through centralized collection, correlation, and sustainable alerting. The course also covers malware defense as layered prevention plus rapid containment, data protection through classification, access boundaries, and safe retention, and recovery readiness with RPO/RTO planning, backup isolation, and restore testing. You’ll strengthen governance across identity and access management, change control, third-party risk, awareness programs that drive behavior change, incident response readiness and execution, and how to use testing results to improve controls over time. Every lesson stays exam-focused while keeping the emphasis on operational evidence, measurable effectiveness, and decision-making under pressure—so you’re not just memorizing terms, you’re learning how to run the controls in production with confidence.

Information

  • Creator
    Jason Edwards
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    60
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Bare Metal Cyber