Validates hands-on knowledge of securing industrial control systems, including architecture, threats and attacks, communications, hardening, governance and recovery.
A good GICSP course teaches ICS architecture, attacks, defenses and incident response, and prepares you to find answers fast in an open-book exam with hands-on CyberLive tasks. We compared the options on exam alignment, practice and price.
Take SANS ICS410 when your employer pays; the exam questions follow its books. If you are paying yourself, use the ProjectEngPro Udemy course for structured coverage of every area and add the Brooks and Craig book as an ICS reference.
| Course | Best for | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 SANS ICS410: ICS/SCADA Security Essentials | Employer-funded study | Live online | $9,230 |
 GICSP Certification Masterclass: ICS/OT Cybersecurity | Low-cost course | Video | $20 |
 Practical Industrial Cybersecurity: ICS, Industry 4.0, and IIoT | ICS reference book | Book | $30 |
GIAC's affiliated course for GICSP: six days live or 36 hours self-paced on ICS architecture, attacks, defenses and incident response. It has 15 labs and a CTF, earns 36 CPEs, and includes ICS310 OnDemand.
Great fit if your employer funds training and you want the books the exam questions follow
Poor fit if you are paying yourself; the course costs over nine times the exam; choose ProjectEngPro
An independent 30-hour video course across the GICSP areas, with two practice exams. It was updated in June 2026 and is the structured self-study route for candidates who do not take ICS410.
Great fit if you are preparing without ICS410 and want structured coverage of every area
Poor fit if you want the SANS books the exam questions follow; choose SANS ICS410
A 2022 Wiley textbook on ICS, Industry 4.0 and IIoT security by Charles J. Brooks and Philip A. Craig Jr., written as a foundation for the GICSP exam. It works as a printed reference to index for the open-book exam.
Great fit if you want a printed ICS reference to index for self-study
Poor fit if you want question-by-question exam practice; choose ProjectEngPro's course
SANS ICS410 if your employer pays, because the exam questions follow its books. If you are paying yourself, ProjectEngPro's Udemy course covers every area for $20.
No. You can buy a GIAC attempt without the course. ICS410 is the course GIAC recommends, but it costs over nine times the $999 attempt.
ICS410 is six days live or 36 hours self-paced, and the ProjectEngPro course is 30 hours. Plan for about 90 hours of preparation in total, including building your index.
Yes. You can bring printed books and notes into the three-hour exam, so indexing your course material is part of the preparation.