Last updated November 13, 2026, when we added the AI governance section (IAPP AIGP, ISACA AAISM and AAIA, ISO/IEC 42001 lead auditor and lead implementer). Every certification below was checked against the issuer’s own pages. We left out programs whose details we could not confirm there.
Which cert next
Three of the big certification bodies now run AI security exams. CompTIA launched SecAI+ on February 17, 2026 (CompTIA). ISACA’s AAISM is open to people who already hold CISM or CISSP (ISACA). GIAC lists a set of AI-focused certifications tied to SANS courses, most of them tested with hands-on CyberLive questions (GIAC). There is no single best one. The right pick depends on whether you defend AI systems, attack them, automate with them or govern them.
The short version:
Don’t Miss the Policy Changes That Affect Security Decisions
Get the key CISA actions, new regulations, guidance, and risk shifts in a quick daily brief.
By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy.
Free. Weekday mornings. 5 minutes or less.
For a practical look at controlling autonomous AI in production, see our guide to setting AI agent guardrails at scale.
- Hands-on security practitioner, vendor-neutral: CompTIA SecAI+.
- Security manager who holds CISM or CISSP: ISACA AAISM.
- Application security or AI/ML engineer securing LLM apps: GIAC GAIPS.
- Red teamer or penetration tester: GIAC GOAA now; GIAC GAIPT opens for general purchase on February 9, 2027.
- SOC analyst, detection or automation engineer: GIAC GASAE, or GIAC GMLE if your work is machine learning for threat hunting.
- Governance, privacy or audit: IAPP AIGP, ISACA AAIA if you already hold CISA, or an ISO/IEC 42001 lead implementer or lead auditor credential if your company is building or auditing an AI management system. See AI governance certifications below.
- Cloud security: CCSP. Its exam outline effective August 1, 2026 builds AI security into all six domains.
AI security certifications compared
| Certification | Issuer | Built for | Prerequisite | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SecAI+ (CY0-001) | CompTIA | Practitioners securing AI systems and using AI in security operations | None required. CompTIA recommends 3 to 4 years in IT, 2+ years hands-on cybersecurity, and Security+, CySA+ or PenTest+ or equivalent | Up to 60 questions, 60 minutes, multiple choice and performance-based; pass at 600 on a 100 to 900 scale |
| AAISM (Advanced in AI Security Management) | ISACA | Security managers who own AI risk, policy and controls | Active CISM or CISSP | 90 multiple-choice questions, 150 minutes; pass at 450 on a 200 to 800 scale; PSI test center or remote proctoring |
| GAIPS (AI Platform Security) | GIAC | AppSec, AI/ML, cloud security engineers and auditors | None listed by GIAC | 54 questions, 2 hours, 65% to pass, CyberLive |
| GOAA (Offensive AI Analyst) | GIAC | Red teamers, pen testers, SOC and incident responders | None listed by GIAC | 56 questions, 2 hours, 67% to pass, CyberLive |
| GASAE (AI Security Automation Engineer) | GIAC | SOC, detection, automation and cloud security engineers | None listed by GIAC | 82 questions, 3 hours, 70% to pass, CyberLive |
| GAIPT (AI Penetration Tester) | GIAC | Pen testers who test LLM apps, RAG pipelines and agents | Presale only with an affiliated SANS course; general purchase from February 9, 2027 | Format not yet posted on GIAC’s page |
| GMLE (Machine Learning Engineer) | GIAC | Analysts using machine learning for threat hunting and monitoring | None listed by GIAC | 82 questions, 3 hours, 65% to pass, CyberLive |
| AIGP (AI Governance Professional) | IAPP | Governance, privacy, legal and risk staff | None listed on IAPP’s AIGP page | 100 questions, 2.75 hours with a 15-minute break; pass at 300 on a 100 to 500 scale; Body of Knowledge v2.1 |
| AAIA (Advanced in AI Audit) | ISACA | IT auditors and advisors | CISA, or one of the listed designations such as CIA or US CPA held with an IT audit or advisory focus | 90 multiple-choice questions, 150 minutes; pass at 450 on a 200 to 800 scale |
| ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Auditor or Lead Implementer | Personnel certification bodies such as PECB (ISO does not certify people) | People who audit or build an AI management system | None to sit the PECB exam; experience decides the credential level | PECB: five-day course with the exam on day five |
Sources: CompTIA, ISACA AAISM, ISACA AAIA, GIAC pages for GAIPS, GOAA, GASAE, GAIPT and GMLE, and IAPP (checked October 2026). GIAC passing scores apply to specific exam versions; GIAC tells candidates to confirm theirs in their GIAC account. Fees are on each issuer’s page; we don’t list them because they change.
CompTIA SecAI+: the vendor-neutral practitioner exam
SecAI+ is the first certification in CompTIA’s new expansion series. The exam (CY0-001) launched on February 17, 2026, is offered in English and Japanese, and CompTIA estimates it will retire about three years after launch (CompTIA). It is not an entry-level exam. CompTIA recommends three to four years in IT and at least two years of hands-on security work, with Security+, CySA+ or PenTest+ or equivalent knowledge behind you.
The four domains and their weights:
- Securing AI systems (40%): security controls for AI systems, data and models; on-premises, cloud and hybrid deployments; attacks on models, data pipelines and inference.
- AI-assisted security (24%): AI-driven detection and response, triage and alert correlation, AI in threat modeling and monitoring.
- AI governance, risk and compliance (19%): regulatory frameworks, GRC across the AI lifecycle, GDPR and the NIST AI RMF.
- Basic AI concepts related to cybersecurity (17%): machine learning, deep learning and NLP terms, AI use cases in security, and AI-driven threats such as automated phishing and adversarial machine learning.
ISACA AAISM: for managers who already hold CISM or CISSP
ISACA describes Advanced in AI Security Management as an AI-centric security management certification for experienced IT professionals. You must hold an active CISM or CISSP to register, and ISACA also lists proven experience in security or advisory roles and some expertise assessing, implementing and maintaining AI systems as part of the profile (ISACA).
- Exam: 90 multiple-choice questions in 150 minutes. ISACA’s candidate guide weights the domains at AI governance and program management 31%, AI risk and opportunity management 31%, and AI technologies and controls 38%. Scores run from 200 to 800, and 450 passes (ISACA AAISM Exam Candidate Guide).
- Testing: computer-based at authorized PSI test centers or remotely proctored. Registration is continuous, and you can book as early as 48 hours after paying.
- Eligibility window: six months from registration to take the exam. After you pass, you have five years to apply for the certification.
- Keeping it: at least 10 CPE hours a year and 30 over a three-year period, an annual maintenance fee, and proof that your CISM or CISSP is still active (ISACA).
- Remote proctoring limits: candidates in India, mainland China and Hong Kong must test at a test center.
- Study material from ISACA: an online review course, a review manual, a question database, a virtual workshop and a 12-question free practice exam.
If you are still working toward CISM or CISSP, AAISM is a later step, not a first one.
GIAC AI certifications: hands-on and tied to SANS courses
GIAC’s AI certifications are practitioner certs. GAIPS, GOAA, GASAE and GMLE use CyberLive questions in real virtual machines, and each lines up with a SANS course (GIAC). GIAC exams are web-based and proctored, either remotely through ProctorU or on site at Pearson VUE.
- GAIPS, AI Platform Security: auditing and securing generative AI applications and LLM development pipelines, including agentic systems, model tuning and alignment, AI application architecture, MLOps and MLSecOps. SANS course: SEC545, GenAI and LLM Application Security. 54 questions in 2 hours; 65% to pass for exam versions released on or after July 25, 2026 (GIAC).
- GOAA, Offensive AI Analyst: AI-powered reconnaissance and OSINT, AI-aided vulnerability discovery and exploit generation, bypassing guardrails, AI-driven phishing, and the legal and OPSEC side. SANS course: SEC535, Offensive AI. 56 questions in 2 hours; 67% to pass for versions released on or after January 24, 2026 (GIAC).
- GASAE, AI Security Automation Engineer: automation and AI across offensive, defensive and cloud operations, including LLMs, RAG and agentic AI for detection and response, infrastructure as code, SOAR workflows and Azure and AWS automation. SANS course: SEC598. 82 questions in 3 hours; 70% to pass for versions released on or after April 10, 2026 (GIAC).
- GAIPT, AI Penetration Tester: penetration testing enterprise AI deployments, including direct and indirect prompt injection, RAG exploitation, agentic systems and MCP server attacks. SANS course: SEC536. It is in presale and can only be bought with an affiliated course until general purchase opens on February 9, 2027 (GIAC).
- GMLE, Machine Learning Engineer: data science, statistics and machine learning applied to threat hunting and security monitoring, with Python. 82 questions in 3 hours; 65% to pass for versions released on or after September 18, 2023 (GIAC).
GIAC certifications renew every four years with CPE credits. For how GIAC fees and funding usually work, see our GSEC guide, which covers employer funding, SANS Work Study and the SANS academies.
AI governance certifications: AIGP, AAISM, AAIA and ISO/IEC 42001
AI governance credentials test oversight: AI policy, risk, regulation and audit. This section covers four: IAPP’s AIGP, ISACA’s AAISM and AAIA, and ISO/IEC 42001 lead auditor or lead implementer credentials. The first three each have one issuer. ISO/IEC 42001 is a standard, and ISO says it does not perform certification or issue certificates (ISO), so the 42001 credentials for people come from certification and training bodies.
| Credential | Issuer | Best fit | Prerequisite | Exam | Keeping it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIGP (AI Governance Professional) | IAPP | Privacy, legal, compliance and GRC staff who write AI policy | None listed by IAPP | 100 questions, 2.75 hours plus a 15-minute break; 300 on a 100 to 500 scale passes | Two-year term, 20 continuing education credits tied to the Body of Knowledge, maintenance fee (covered by IAPP membership) |
| AAISM (Advanced in AI Security Management) | ISACA | Security managers who own AI risk, policy and controls | Active CISM or CISSP | 90 questions, 150 minutes; 450 on a 200 to 800 scale passes | 10 CPE hours a year, 30 over three years, annual fee, keep CISM or CISSP active |
| AAIA (Advanced in AI Audit) | ISACA | IT auditors and advisors who audit AI systems | CISA, or a listed designation such as CIA or US CPA held with an IT audit or advisory focus | 90 questions, 150 minutes; 450 on a 200 to 800 scale passes | 10 CPE hours a year in AI, 30 over three years, annual fee, keep the prerequisite active |
| ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Auditor | PECB, for example | Internal auditors and people who want to audit AI management systems | None to sit the exam; PECB’s Lead Auditor level needs five years of experience, two in AI audit work | Five-day course, exam on day five, seven competency domains | Set by the issuing body |
| ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer | PECB, for example | People building an AI management system for certification | None to sit the exam; PECB’s Lead Implementer level needs five years of experience, two in AI | Five-day course, exam on day five, six competency domains | Set by the issuing body |
Sources: IAPP AIGP exam, IAPP Certification Handbook, ISACA AAISM guide, ISACA AAIA guide, AAISM maintenance, AAIA maintenance, PECB Lead Auditor, PECB Lead Implementer.
IAPP AIGP: governance without a prerequisite
The AI Governance Professional credential covers AI concepts and risks, how current and emerging laws apply to AI systems, and governing AI across its life cycle (IAPP). The Body of Knowledge in force is version 2.1, effective February 2, 2026. It sets a minimum and maximum number of questions per domain (IAPP AIGP Body of Knowledge):
- Domain I, foundations of AI governance: 16 to 20 questions.
- Domain II, how laws, standards and frameworks apply to AI: 19 to 23 questions. IAPP’s examples include the EU AI Act, South Korea’s AI Basic Law, and federal and state AI laws that apply to private companies.
- Domain III, governing AI development: 21 to 25 questions.
- Domain IV, governing AI deployment and use: 21 to 25 questions.
The exam has 100 questions and 2.75 hours, with a 15-minute break at the halfway point, and you must take it within one year of buying it. You can test online through Pearson VUE’s OnVUE or at a Pearson VUE center (IAPP store). IAPP scores on a 100 to 500 scale and 300 passes. After a failed attempt you can book a retake no sooner than seven days later. IAPP’s handbook also notes that AIGP is not accredited by ANAB, unlike some of its privacy certifications (IAPP Certification Handbook).
The certification term is two years from the day after you pass. To renew, you report 20 continuing education credits that match the AIGP Body of Knowledge and pay a maintenance fee, which IAPP membership covers.
ISACA AAISM: the security manager’s governance credential
AAISM is the security-management credential in this group. Two of its three domains are governance work: AI governance and program management (31%) and AI risk and opportunity management (31%), per ISACA’s candidate guide (ISACA). It requires an active CISM or CISSP. Exam and upkeep details are in the AAISM section above.
ISACA AAIA: for auditors who already hold CISA
Advanced in AI Audit is for IT auditors and advisors. Every CISA holder qualifies. So do holders of these designations whose work focuses on IT audit or IT advisory: CIA, US CPA, ACCA and FCCA, Canadian CPA, CPA Australia’s CPA and FCPA, the Japanese CPA, ICAEW’s ACA and FCA, ANAN’s CNA, CA ANZ’s CA and FCA, and HKICPA’s CPA and FCPA (ISACA).
- Exam: 90 multiple-choice questions in 150 minutes. Domain weights: AI governance and risk 33%, AI operations 46%, AI auditing tools and techniques 21%. Scores run 200 to 800, and 450 passes (ISACA AAIA Exam Candidate Guide).
- Testing: PSI test center or remote proctoring. Candidates in India, mainland China and Hong Kong must test at a center. You have six months from registration to sit the exam and five years after passing to apply.
- Keeping it: 10 CPE hours a year in AI, 30 over three years, an annual maintenance fee, and an active prerequisite designation (ISACA).
If you don’t hold CISA yet, our CISA exam guide covers how to qualify.
ISO/IEC 42001 lead auditor and lead implementer
ISO/IEC 42001:2023, published in December 2023, sets requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving an AI management system (AIMS) in any organization that develops, provides or uses AI (ISO). Organizations get certified to it by certification bodies. ISO/IEC 42006:2025, published in July 2025, adds requirements for the bodies that audit and certify AI management systems against 42001, on top of ISO/IEC 17021-1 (ISO).
A 42001 lead auditor or lead implementer credential is therefore a personnel certification from a company that certifies people, not from ISO. PECB is one example. Its Lead Auditor and Lead Implementer programs are five-day courses with the exam on day five, and course attendance earns 31 CPD credits (PECB Lead Auditor, PECB Lead Implementer).
- Lead Auditor exam: seven competency domains, from AI management system concepts and requirements through preparing, conducting and closing an ISO/IEC 42001 audit and managing an audit program.
- Lead Implementer exam: six competency domains, from AIMS concepts and requirements through planning, implementing, monitoring and improving an AIMS and preparing for the certification audit.
- Experience sets the title: passing the exam alone earns PECB’s Provisional Auditor or Provisional Implementer level. The full Lead Auditor credential needs five years of professional experience, two years of AI audit work and 300 hours of audit activity. Lead Implementer needs five years, two of them in AI, and 300 hours of AIMS project activity. Senior Lead levels need ten years.
- Retakes: PECB lets course candidates who fail retake the exam free within 12 months (once, for Lead Implementer).
Before you pay for any 42001 course, check who issues the credential, what experience it requires for the title you want, and what renewal costs. To check whether a company’s own ISO/IEC 42001 certificate is accredited, ISO points to national accreditation bodies and the IAF CertSearch database (ISO).
Which AI governance certification fits
- Privacy, legal or compliance, with no security certification: AIGP. IAPP lists no prerequisite.
- Security manager with CISM or CISSP: AAISM.
- IT auditor with CISA or a qualifying accounting designation: AAIA.
- Your company is seeking ISO/IEC 42001 certification: Lead Implementer for the people building the AIMS, Lead Auditor for internal audit or anyone who wants to audit for a certification body.
- No CISM, CISSP or CISA yet: start with one of those. Our CISSP vs CISM comparison and CISA guide help you pick.
Who pays for AI governance certifications
Ask your employer first. These credentials line up with work a company needs done: an AI policy, an AI risk register, an AI audit, or a 42001 certification project. Ask for the exam, study material and the first maintenance fee in the same request. We don’t list prices because they change; use the official pages:
- IAPP AIGP exam page: the exam fee. For non-members the first maintenance fee is included; members’ maintenance is covered by IAPP membership.
- ISACA AAISM page and ISACA AAIA page: member and non-member exam fees. ISACA also charges an application processing fee after you pass and an annual maintenance fee, both lower for members.
- PECB Lead Auditor and PECB Lead Implementer: courses are sold by PECB and its training partners, so the price depends on the provider and format. Confirm the quote includes the exam.
Our certification cost guide covers employer vouchers, reimbursement and other ways to get exams paid for.
Certificates, not certifications: CSA TAISE and ISC2
Two well-known programs are course-plus-assessment certificates. They are useful for learning, but they are not proctored certifications with experience checks.
- CSA Trusted AI Safety Expert (TAISE): built by the Cloud Security Alliance with Northeastern University’s Institute for Experiential AI. A 10-module course and final exam of 60 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes, with 80% needed to pass and two attempts valid for two years. It is sold only as a training and exam bundle, and CSA lists no prerequisites (CSA).
- ISC2 Building AI Strategy Certificate: six on-demand courses, about 16 hours, worth 16 CPE credits, ending in a Credly badge after you complete the courses and assessments (ISC2). Handy for CISSP or CCSP holders who need CPEs and an AI grounding.
Where CCSP and SecurityX fit
ISC2 says cloud platforms are becoming the main place LLM and ML pipelines are hosted and trained, and it rewrote the CCSP outline with that in mind. The outline effective August 1, 2026 adds objectives on comprehending AI and machine learning and on protecting AI and ML data, lists the OWASP Top 10 for Large Language Model Applications among common cloud vulnerabilities, and, according to ISC2, integrates AI security across all six domains (ISC2). CCSP still needs five years of IT experience, three of them in cybersecurity.
CompTIA’s SecurityX (CAS-005) is not an AI exam, but its objectives include evaluating the impact of emerging trends such as artificial intelligence and using generative AI in security automation (CompTIA). For a senior hands-on engineer, SecurityX plus SecAI+ or a GIAC AI cert covers both the architecture and the AI-specific work.
Which AI security certification to take first
- New to security: none of these yet. Get Security+ first; CompTIA lists it as recommended background for SecAI+. Our cybersecurity certification path shows the order, and our cybersecurity engineer certifications guide covers the technical track.
- Two or more years in a security role: SecAI+ is the most direct vendor-neutral option. If your employer funds SANS, pick the GIAC cert that matches your job: GAIPS for builders, GOAA for attackers, GASAE for SOC automation.
- Security leader with CISM or CISSP: AAISM. Without either, earn one first; our CISSP vs CISM comparison helps you choose.
- Auditor or GRC lead: AAIA if you hold CISA, AIGP if your work is policy, privacy and regulation, and an ISO/IEC 42001 lead auditor or lead implementer credential if your company is pursuing 42001 certification.
- Cloud security engineer: CCSP under the August 2026 outline, then GAIPS if you secure LLM applications directly.
For the bigger picture on how attackers and defenders are using AI right now, see AI in cybersecurity in 2026, and for the full field of certs, the best cybersecurity certifications in 2026.
AI security certification questions
What is the best AI security certification?
It depends on your role. CompTIA SecAI+ is the main vendor-neutral practitioner exam. ISACA AAISM is for security managers who hold CISM or CISSP. GIAC GAIPS, GOAA and GASAE are hands-on options for builders, attackers and SOC engineers.
Is there an entry-level AI security certification?
Not really. CompTIA recommends three to four years in IT and two years of hands-on security before SecAI+, and AAISM requires CISM or CISSP. If you are starting out, earn Security+ first.
What do I need to take the ISACA AAISM exam?
An active CISM or CISSP. The exam has 90 multiple-choice questions in 150 minutes, and you need 450 on ISACA’s 200 to 800 scale. After you register, you have six months to take it at a PSI test center or through remote proctoring.
What is on the CompTIA SecAI+ exam?
Up to 60 questions in 60 minutes across four domains: securing AI systems (40%), AI-assisted security (24%), AI governance, risk and compliance (19%) and basic AI concepts related to cybersecurity (17%). The passing score is 600 on a 100 to 900 scale.
Are the GIAC AI certifications hands-on?
GAIPS, GOAA, GASAE and GMLE use GIAC’s CyberLive format, with questions in real virtual machines. Each lines up with a SANS course. GAIPT is in presale with an affiliated course until February 9, 2027.
What is the best AI governance certification?
It depends on your background. IAPP AIGP has no listed prerequisite and suits privacy, legal and GRC staff. ISACA AAISM fits security managers with CISM or CISSP, and ISACA AAIA fits auditors with CISA. If your company is seeking ISO/IEC 42001 certification, a 42001 lead implementer or lead auditor credential from a personnel certification body such as PECB fits the people doing that work.
What is on the IAPP AIGP exam?
100 questions in 2.75 hours, with a 15-minute break halfway. Body of Knowledge v2.1 has four domains: AI governance foundations, how laws, standards and frameworks apply to AI, governing AI development, and governing AI deployment and use. IAPP scores on a 100 to 500 scale and 300 passes.
Does CCSP cover AI security?
Yes. The CCSP exam outline effective August 1, 2026 adds objectives on AI and machine learning and on protecting AI and ML data, and ISC2 says AI security is built into all six domains.
Is there an ISO/IEC 42001 certification for individuals?
Not from ISO, which does not certify people or companies. Personnel certification bodies such as PECB offer ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Auditor and Lead Implementer credentials. With PECB, passing the exam earns a provisional level, and the full Lead titles need five years of experience, two of them in AI or AI audit work.
Sources
- CompTIA, SecAI+ (CY0-001): comptia.org
- CompTIA, SecurityX (CAS-005): comptia.org
- ISACA, Advanced in AI Security Management (AAISM): isaca.org
- ISACA, Advanced in AI Audit (AAIA): isaca.org
- GIAC, Artificial Intelligence focus area: giac.org
- GIAC, AI Platform Security (GAIPS): giac.org
- GIAC, Offensive AI Analyst (GOAA): giac.org
- GIAC, AI Security Automation Engineer (GASAE): giac.org
- GIAC, AI Penetration Tester (GAIPT): giac.org
- GIAC, Machine Learning Engineer (GMLE): giac.org
- IAPP, AI Governance Professional (AIGP): iapp.org
- IAPP, AIGP Body of Knowledge v2.1 (PDF): iapp.org link
- Cloud Security Alliance, Trusted AI Safety Expert (TAISE): cloudsecurityalliance.org
- ISC2, Building AI Strategy Certificate: isc2.org
- ISC2, CCSP Certification Exam Outline (effective August 1, 2026): isc2.org
- IAPP, AIGP exam (format, delivery, maintenance): store.iapp.org
- IAPP, Certification Candidate Handbook (PDF): iapp.org link
- ISACA, AAISM Exam Candidate Guide (PDF): isaca.org
- ISACA, Maintain AAISM certification: isaca.org
- ISACA, AAIA Exam Candidate Guide (PDF): isaca.org
- ISACA, Maintain AAIA certification: isaca.org
- ISO, ISO/IEC 42001:2023 AI management systems: iso.org
- ISO, ISO/IEC 42006:2025 requirements for AIMS audit and certification bodies: iso.org
- ISO, Certification (ISO does not perform certification): iso.org
- PECB, ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Auditor: pecb.com
- PECB, ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer: pecb.com
Start your morning with the signal that matters.
Get the biggest cybersecurity developments, why they matter, and where to go deeper on CyberExperts.
By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy.
Free. Weekdays. Built for operators.
