I passed the certifcation y'all! Thank you to my supportive and advancement cheering SOC, Infosec Team, and Family. I wouldn't have been able to do it without each and every one of y'all. I love you and appreciate you more than you will ever know.

I've completed reading the books multiple times. My index is almost done. The goal is to not use the books...too much. I got through the practice without em.

After the exam I will share my index and method for study given no issues like failure come up.

Update: Index is now available via hyperlink above. Each color corresponds to the book-day that contains the entry. The Index document is in NO WAY a relfection of the amount of information provided from the SANS instruction and/or books. This is simply an index of information that I way need to reference come certification test time. With that being said.... your Index should be 4-5 times bigger IF you don't have a good amount of the information stored in your brain. My Index will continue to be updated until the test is complete. Peace.

In the realm of cybersecurity, having a robust toolkit for web application security assessment is crucial. Here are some of the most effective open-source tools that can help infosec professionals identify and mitigate vulnerabilities in web applications.

1. **OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy)**
   - A popular tool maintained by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP).
   - Features automated scanners and a set of tools for finding security vulnerabilities in web applications.
   - Suitable for beginners and advanced users.

2. **Burp Suite Community Edition**
   - The free version of the Burp Suite from PortSwigger.
   - Includes essential manual testing tools.
   - Can be extended with plugins to add more functionalities.

3. **Nikto**
   - A command-line tool that scans web servers for vulnerabilities.
   - Detects outdated versions of web servers and identifies various security issues.

4. **Wapiti**
   - A command-line tool that performs black-box scans of web applications.
   - Scans for a variety of vulnerabilities, including XSS, SQL injection, and file disclosure.

5. **Arachni**
   - A feature-rich, high-performance web application security scanner framework.
   - Supports both command-line and web interfaces.
   - Extensible with custom scripts and plugins.

6. **Vega**
   - A free and open-source web security scanner and testing platform.
   - Includes an automated scanner for quick assessments and a proxy for manual testing.

7. **W3af (Web Application Attack and Audit Framework)**
   - An open-source web application security scanner.
   - Combines black-box scanning with a variety of plug-ins for different types of vulnerabilities.

8. **OWTF (Offensive Web Testing Framework)**
   - Aimed at making penetration testing more efficient.
   - Integrates with other tools and automates many testing tasks.

9. **SQLMap**
   - An open-source penetration testing tool that automates the process of detecting and exploiting SQL injection flaws.
   - Features a powerful detection engine and many niche options for the ultimate penetration tester.

10. **Metasploit Framework**
    - While primarily known for exploitation, it includes tools for web application scanning and exploitation.
    - Extensible with a wide range of modules for various tasks.

These tools can help in identifying and mitigating security issues in web applications. Always ensure to use these tools ethically and only on systems where you have explicit permission to test.