- GMOB stands for GIAC Mobile Device Security Analyst, issued by GIAC Certifications.
- The exam has 75 questions, a 2-hour limit, and a 71% minimum passing score.
- Eleven published objective domains span Android, iOS, app analysis, traffic attacks, malware, and stolen-device risk.
- The attempt fee is USD $999; the credential stays valid for four years.
What GMOB Means Here
On this site, GMOB means one thing: the GIAC Mobile Device Security Analyst certification. The acronym is short enough that it gets reused elsewhere, so it is worth stating plainly what this article covers. Everything below concerns the GIAC credential for people who assess, attack, and defend smartphones, tablets, and the applications running on them.
If you landed here from a search like "what does GMOB stand for," the short answer is the three-part title: Mobile Device Security Analyst, awarded by GIAC. For adjacent explainers, see What Does GMOB Stand For? and What Is GMOB?. This article goes deeper into how the name maps to the actual exam content and logistics.
Who Issues the Credential
GIAC stands for Global Information Assurance Certification, and the organization now goes by GIAC Certifications. The certifications are administered by GIAC, LLC. GIAC is the certifying body; it is separate from SANS Institute, which provides the optional training. That distinction matters when you budget: exam fees and course tuition are billed independently.
Exams are delivered through Pearson VUE at a testing center or through ProctorU for remote proctoring, depending on what is available for your specific attempt. Your assigned attempt page on the GIAC exam portal is the authoritative source for the objectives, format, and passing score that apply to you.
Reading the Full Title Word by Word
Each word in "Mobile Device Security Analyst" tells you something about what the exam rewards.
Mobile Device
The scope is both operating systems that dominate the market: Android and iOS. Two of the eleven domains are devoted to managing each platform, and several others (rooting and unlocking, malware, stolen devices) are inherently device-level topics.
Security
The emphasis is on offense and defense together. You are expected to know how attackers break mobile apps and traffic, and also how organizations mitigate those risks.
Analyst
"Analyst" signals hands-on assessment work rather than pure policy knowledge. The domain list is full of verbs like analyzing, attacking, manipulating, reverse engineering, and unlocking. Expect questions that ask what you would observe or do, not only what a term is defined as.
The 11 Domains Behind the Name
GIAC publishes eleven objective headings for this exam, listed here in published order. GIAC does not publish percentage weights for them, so treat all eleven as potentially testable and avoid any source that claims precise weightings. For a fuller walkthrough, read the complete guide to all 11 GMOB content areas.
| Domain | What the Name Implies |
|---|---|
| Analyzing Mobile Applications | Examining how apps behave, store data, and communicate |
| Attacking Encrypted Traffic | Defeating or bypassing protections on protected network traffic |
| Managing Android Devices and Applications | Android security model, configuration, and app handling |
| Managing iOS Devices and Applications | iOS security model, configuration, and app handling |
| Manipulating Mobile Application Behavior | Altering runtime behavior to test app defenses |
| Manipulating Network Traffic | Intercepting and modifying traffic between app and server |
| Mitigating Against Mobile Malware | Recognizing and defending against malicious mobile software |
| Mitigating Against Stolen Mobile Devices | Reducing data exposure when a device is lost or taken |
| Mobile Application Security Assessments | Structured app evaluation, with MASVS named in the outcome statement |
| Reverse Engineering Mobile Applications | Decompiling and inspecting app internals |
| Unlocking and Rooting Mobile Devices | Gaining elevated access and understanding its security consequences |
Mobile Application Security Assessments
This heading is the one most tied to a named external standard. GIAC's outcome statement explicitly references the Mobile Application Security Verification Standard (MASVS).
- Know what MASVS is for and how it frames verification requirements
- Be able to connect assessment findings to structured categories
- Understand how static and dynamic analysis feed an assessment
Traffic-Focused Domains
Two headings, "Attacking Encrypted Traffic" and "Manipulating Network Traffic," cover how traffic between an app and its backend can be observed or altered.
- Understand interception setups and why certificate trust matters
- Know what protections apps use and how testers work around them
- Be ready to reason about what an intercepted request reveals
Exam Format and Fee Mechanics
The logistics behind the name are straightforward but unforgiving, so learn them before you register.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions | 75 |
| Time limit | 2 hours |
| Minimum passing score | 71% |
| Certification attempt fee | USD $999 |
| Retake fee | USD $899 |
| Official practice exam | USD $399 |
| Attempt completion window | 120 days from activation |
| Break time | 15 minutes allowed |
Prices exclude applicable sales tax, and SANS training tuition is separate. The 71% passing-standard notice applies to exam versions released on or after December 24, 2016. If you want the arithmetic of what 71% means across 75 questions, see GMOB Passing Score: Exactly What You Need to Pass. For a full cost picture including renewal, read the GMOB certification cost breakdown.
What "Open Book" Really Means
GMOB is open book, but only in a narrow sense. Hardcopy books, notes, and an index are permitted. Internet access, personal electronic references, and materials resembling practice or exam questions and answers are prohibited. Everything must be on paper.
This changes how you prepare. An index you built yourself, organized by topic across the eleven domains, becomes a core study artifact rather than an afterthought. Building it forces you to process the material, and using it under time pressure rewards a design you have already rehearsed. A tab-heavy stack of books you have never navigated quickly will not save you in a 2-hour window with 75 questions.
Key Takeaway
Build your index while studying, not the week before the exam. Practice looking things up under a timer so that retrieving a concept from paper takes seconds, not minutes. For quick-reference material, our GMOB cheat sheet shows the kinds of facts worth indexing.
The SEC575 Connection
The training most associated with this certification is SANS SEC575: iOS and Android Application Security Analysis and Penetration Testing. Training is optional and recommended, not required. There is no formal certification prerequisite for taking the exam.
A few cautions are worth stating about how to use the course as a map:
- The course sections are an unweighted preparation curriculum. They do not prove exhaustive exam coverage.
- The live SEC575 page references Android 14 and iOS 17, while its linked brochure references Android 12 and iOS 15. These conflicting platform examples do not tell you which version your assigned exam reflects.
- SEC575 recommends programming experience, basic Linux and terminal familiarity, and penetration-testing knowledge. Those are course recommendations, separate from GIAC certification eligibility.
The practical lesson: study concepts that transfer across platform versions, such as how sandboxing, permissions, and trust models work, rather than memorizing version-specific menus. For eligibility specifics, see GMOB Requirements, and for course-focused guidance, GMOB Training.
Who Benefits From the Credential
The title "Mobile Device Security Analyst" points to a recognizable set of roles. People who tend to gain the most are:
- Penetration testers adding mobile application assessment to a web and network skill set
- Application security engineers who review iOS and Android apps before release
- Security analysts and consultants advising organizations on mobile risk, including lost and stolen devices
- Incident responders and mobile forensics-adjacent staff who encounter malware and compromised endpoints
- Enterprise mobility and endpoint teams responsible for managing Android and iOS fleets securely
Because earnings depend heavily on role, region, and experience, this article makes no salary claims. For a qualitative look at compensation and the job landscape, see the GMOB salary guide, GMOB Jobs, and the GMOB ROI analysis.
Validity and Renewal
Once earned, the certification is valid for four years. To renew, you need 36 approved CPE credits earned during the active four-year period, or you can sit a renewal exam, plus the standard USD $499 renewal fee. Plan CPE activity across the whole cycle instead of compressing it into the final months.
| Lifecycle Stage | Key Fact |
|---|---|
| Activation to completion | 120 days to complete the attempt |
| Active certification | Valid for four years |
| Renewal route one | 36 approved CPE credits |
| Renewal route two | Renewal exam |
| Renewal fee | USD $499 standard fee |
Sequencing Your Preparation
Rather than generic scheduling advice, tie the order of study to how the domains build on one another. Platform fundamentals first, then analysis, then attacks, then defenses and assessment framing. The timeline below is one reasonable sequence, not an official plan. A broader plan lives in the GMOB study guide.
Platform Foundations
- Managing Android Devices and Applications
- Managing iOS Devices and Applications
- Start your index with platform security model terms
Looking Inside Apps
- Analyzing Mobile Applications
- Reverse Engineering Mobile Applications
- Unlocking and Rooting Mobile Devices
Traffic and Behavior
- Manipulating Network Traffic
- Attacking Encrypted Traffic
- Manipulating Mobile Application Behavior
Defense and Assessment
- Mitigating Against Mobile Malware
- Mitigating Against Stolen Mobile Devices
- Mobile Application Security Assessments and MASVS
Finish by taking timed practice under open-book conditions, using only paper references. Use practice questions from our GMOB practice test platform to rehearse the 75-question, 2-hour pacing. If you want to gauge readiness against published information, read GMOB Pass Rate: What the Data Shows for a careful treatment of what is and is not publicly known.
Frequently Asked Questions
On this site it stands for GIAC Mobile Device Security Analyst, a certification from GIAC Certifications focused on securing, assessing, and attacking Android and iOS devices and applications. More background is in What Is GMOB Certification?
No. GIAC publishes eleven objective headings but no official percentage weights, so any specific weighting you see elsewhere is not from the issuer. Prepare across all eleven domains.
No. Training is optional and recommended, and there are no formal certification prerequisites. SEC575 is the closely associated course, but its recommendations about programming and Linux familiarity are separate from GIAC eligibility.
Yes, in hardcopy form: books, notes, and an index. Internet access, personal electronic references, and materials resembling practice or exam questions and answers are prohibited, and submitted answers cannot be changed.
Four years. Renewal requires 36 approved CPE credits earned in that period or a renewal exam, plus the standard USD $499 renewal fee.
For a broader overview of the credential, start with GMOB Certification, and use the GMOB Exam Prep practice tests to turn this understanding of the name into exam-ready skill.