SANS Institute
American security company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The SANS Institute (officially the Escal Institute of Advanced Technologies) is an American company[1] founded in 1989 specialized in professional certifications for information security. Per 2021, SANS is the world’s largest cybersecurity research and training organization.[2]
Criticism
The SANS Institute has faced criticism regarding the high cost of its training programs and certifications, with public debates about their return on investment for individual professionals.[3] The ethical nature of some course content has also been questioned. For instance, courses covering "active defense" and "hack back" techniques have been noted to sit in a legal and ethical grey area.[4] In a notable incident that challenged the institute's security posture, SANS confirmed a 2020 data breach that compromised the personal information of thousands of users.[5]