Abilities

  • A0123: Ability to apply cybersecurity and privacy principles to organizational requirements (relevant to confidentiality, integrity, availability, authentication, non-repudiation). 
  • A0170: Ability to identify critical infrastructure systems with information communication technology that were designed without system security considerations. 

Knowledge

  • K0001: Knowledge of computer networking concepts and protocols, and network security methodologies. 
  • K0002: Knowledge of risk management processes (e.g., methods for assessing and mitigating risk). 
  • K0003: Knowledge of laws, regulations, policies, and ethics as they relate to cybersecurity and privacy. 
  • K0004: Knowledge of cybersecurity and privacy principles. 
  • K0005: Knowledge of cyber threats and vulnerabilities. 
  • K0006: Knowledge of specific operational impacts of cybersecurity lapses. 
  • K0015: Knowledge of computer algorithms. 
  • K0018: Knowledge of encryption algorithms 
  • K0024: Knowledge of database systems. 
  • K0027: Knowledge of organization's enterprise information security architecture. 
  • K0028: Knowledge of organization's evaluation and validation requirements. 
  • K0030: Knowledge of electrical engineering as applied to computer architecture (e.g., circuit boards, processors, chips, and computer hardware). 
  • K0032: Knowledge of resiliency and redundancy. 
  • K0035: Knowledge of installation, integration, and optimization of system components.
  • K0036: Knowledge of human-computer interaction principles.
  • K0044: Knowledge of cybersecurity and privacy principles and organizational requirements (relevant to confidentiality, integrity, availability, authentication, non-repudiation). 
  • K0045: Knowledge of information security systems engineering principles (NIST SP 800-160). 
  • K0049: Knowledge of information technology (IT) security principles and methods (e.g., firewalls, demilitarized zones, encryption). 
  • K0050: Knowledge of local area and wide area networking principles and concepts including bandwidth management. 
  • K0052: Knowledge of mathematics (e.g. logarithms, trigonometry, linear algebra, calculus, statistics, and operational analysis). 
  • K0055: Knowledge of microprocessors. 
  • K0056: Knowledge of network access, identity, and access management (e.g., public key infrastructure, Oauth, OpenID, SAML, SPML). 
  • K0060: Knowledge of operating systems.
  • K0061: Knowledge of how traffic flows across the network (e.g., Transmission Control Protocol [TCP] and Internet Protocol [IP], Open System Interconnection Model [OSI], Information Technology Infrastructure Library, current version [ITIL]).
  • K0063: Knowledge of parallel and distributed computing concepts.
  • K0065: Knowledge of policy-based and risk adaptive access controls.
  • K0066: Knowledge of Privacy Impact Assessments.
  • K0067: Knowledge of process engineering concepts.
  • K0073: Knowledge of secure configuration management techniques.
  • K0081: Knowledge of software development models (e.g., Waterfall Model, Spiral Model).
  • K0082: Knowledge of software engineering.
  • K0084: Knowledge of structured analysis principles and methods.
  • K0086: Knowledge of system design tools, methods, and techniques, including automated systems analysis and design tools.
  • K0087: Knowledge of system software and organizational design standards, policies, and authorized approaches (e.g., International Organization for Standardization [ISO] guidelines) relating to system design.
  • K0090: Knowledge of system life cycle management principles, including software security and usability.
  • K0091: Knowledge of systems testing and evaluation methods.
  • K0093: Knowledge of telecommunications concepts (e.g., Communications channel, Systems Link Budgeting, Spectral efficiency, Multiplexing). 
  • K0102: Knowledge of the systems engineering process.
  • K0126: Knowledge of Supply Chain Risk Management Practices (NIST SP 800-161) 
  • K0139: Knowledge of interpreted and compiled computer languages.
  • K0169: Knowledge of information technology (IT) supply chain security and supply chain risk management policies, requirements, and procedures. 
  • K0170: Knowledge of critical infrastructure systems with information communication technology that were designed without system security considerations. 
  • K0179: Knowledge of network security architecture concepts including topology, protocols, components, and principles (e.g., application of defense-in-depth). 
  • K0180: Knowledge of network systems management principles, models, methods (e.g., end-to-end systems performance monitoring), and tools. 
  • K0200: Knowledge of service management concepts for networks and related standards (e.g., Information Technology Infrastructure Library, current version [ITIL]).
  • K0203: Knowledge of security models (e.g., Bell-LaPadula model, Biba integrity model, Clark-Wilson integrity model).
  • K0207: Knowledge of circuit analysis.
  • K0212: Knowledge of cybersecurity-enabled software products.
  • K0227: Knowledge of various types of computer architectures.
  • K0260: Knowledge of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data security standards. 
  • K0261: Knowledge of Payment Card Industry (PCI) data security standards. 
  • K0262: Knowledge of Personal Health Information (PHI) data security standards. 
  • K0276: Knowledge of security management.
  • K0287: Knowledge of an organization's information classification program and procedures for information compromise. 
  • K0297: Knowledge of countermeasure design for identified security risks.
  • K0308: Knowledge of cryptology.
  • K0322: Knowledge of embedded systems.
  • K0325: Knowledge of Information Theory (e.g., source coding, channel coding, algorithm complexity theory, and data compression).
  • K0332: Knowledge of network protocols such as TCP/IP, Dynamic Host Configuration, Domain Name System (DNS), and directory services.
  • K0333: Knowledge of network design processes, to include understanding of security objectives, operational objectives, and trade-offs.
  • K0336: Knowledge of access authentication methods.

Skills

  • S0018: Skill in creating policies that reflect system security objectives.
  • S0022: Skill in designing countermeasures to identified security risks.
  • S0023: Skill in designing security controls based on cybersecurity principles and tenets.
  • S0024: Skill in designing the integration of hardware and software solutions.
  • S0025: Skill in detecting host and network based intrusions via intrusion detection technologies (e.g., Snort).
  • S0031: Skill in developing and applying security system access controls.
  • S0034: Skill in discerning the protection needs (i.e., security controls) of information systems and networks.
  • S0036: Skill in evaluating the adequacy of security designs.
  • S0060: Skill in writing code in a currently supported programming language (e.g., Java, C++).
  • S0085: Skill in conducting audits or reviews of technical systems.
  • S0097: Skill in applying security controls.
  • S0136: Skill in network systems management principles, models, methods (e.g., end-to-end systems performance monitoring), and tools.
  • S0145: Skill in integrating and applying policies that meet system security objectives.
  • S0146: Skill in creating policies that enable systems to meet performance objectives (e.g. traffic routing, SLA's, CPU specifications).
  • S0160: Skill in the use of design modeling (e.g., unified modeling language).
  • S0367: Skill to apply cybersecurity and privacy principles to organizational requirements (relevant to confidentiality, integrity, availability, authentication, non-repudiation). 

Tasks

  • T0012: Analyze design constraints, analyze trade-offs and detailed system and security design, and consider life cycle support.
  • T0021: Build, test, and modify product prototypes using working models or theoretical models.
  • T0053: Design and develop cybersecurity or cybersecurity-enabled products.
  • T0056: Design or integrate appropriate data backup capabilities into overall system designs, and ensure that appropriate technical and procedural processes exist for secure system backups and protected storage of backup data.
  • T0061: Develop and direct system testing and validation procedures and documentation.
  • T0067: Develop architectures or system components consistent with technical specifications.
  • T0070: Develop Disaster Recovery and Continuity of Operations plans for systems under development and ensure testing prior to systems entering a production environment.
  • T0107: Identify and direct the remediation of technical problems encountered during testing and implementation of new systems (e.g., identify and find work-arounds for communication protocols that are not interoperable).
  • T0109: Identify and prioritize essential system functions or sub-systems required to support essential capabilities or business functions for restoration or recovery after a system failure or during a system recovery event based on overall system requirements for continuity and availability.
  • T0119: Identify, assess, and recommend cybersecurity or cybersecurity-enabled products for use within a system and ensure that recommended products are in compliance with organization's evaluation and validation requirements.
  • T0181: Perform risk analysis (e.g., threat, vulnerability, and probability of occurrence) whenever an application or system undergoes a major change.
  • T0201: Provide guidelines for implementing developed systems to customers or installation teams.
  • T0205: Provide input to the Risk Management Framework process activities and related documentation (e.g., system life-cycle support plans, concept of operations, operational procedures, and maintenance training materials).
  • T0228: Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements.
  • T0242: Utilize models and simulations to analyze or predict system performance under different operating conditions.
  • T0304: Implement and integrate system development life cycle (SDLC) methodologies (e.g., IBM Rational Unified Process) into development environment.
  • T0326: Employ configuration management processes.
  • T0350: Conduct a market analysis to identify, assess, and recommend commercial, Government off-the-shelf, and open source products for use within a system and ensure recommended products are in compliance with organization's evaluation and validation requirements.
  • T0358: Design and develop system administration and management functionality for privileged access users.
  • T0359: Design, implement, test, and evaluate secure interfaces between information systems, physical systems, and/or embedded technologies.
  • T0378: Incorporates risk-driven systems maintenance updates process to address system deficiencies (periodically and out of cycle).
  • T0406: Ensure that design and development activities are properly documented (providing a functional description of implementation) and updated as necessary.
  • T0447: Design hardware, operating systems, and software applications to adequately address requirements.
  • T0449: Design to security requirements to ensure requirements are met for all systems and/or applications.
  • T0464: Develop detailed design documentation for component and interface specifications to support system design and development.
  • T0466: Develop mitigation strategies to address cost, schedule, performance, and security risks.
  • T0480: Identify components or elements, allocate comprehensive functional components to include security functions, and describe the relationships between the elements.
  • T0488: Implement designs for new or existing system(s).
  • T0518: Perform security reviews and identify security gaps in architecture.
  • T0528: Provide input to implementation plans, standard operating procedures, maintenance documentation, and maintenance training materials
  • T0538: Provide support to test and evaluation activities.
  • T0541: Trace system requirements to design components and perform gap analysis.
  • T0544: Verify stability, interoperability, portability, and/or scalability of system architecture.
  • T0558: Analyze user needs and requirements to plan and conduct system development.
  • T0559: Develop designs to meet specific operational needs and environmental factors (e.g., access controls, automated applications, networked operations.
  • T0560: Collaborate on cybersecurity designs to meet specific operational needs and environmental factors (e.g., access controls, automated applications, networked operations, high integrity and availability requirements, multilevel security/processing of multiple classification levels, and processing Sensitive Compartmented Information).

Capability Indicators

Entry Intermediate Advanced
Credentials/Certifications
  • Recommended: N/A
  • Example Types: N/A
  • Example Topics: N/A
  • Recommended: Not essential but may be beneficial
  • Example Types: N/A
  • Example Topics: Certifications addressing security and risk management, asset security, security engineering, communications and network security, identity and access management, security assessment and testing, security operations, software development security, information systems audit process, IT government and management, information systems acquisition, development, implementation, operations, maintenance, and service management, and protection of information assets, information security governance, security program development and management, information security incident management, system security, network infrastructure, access control, cryptography, assessments and audits, and organizational security
  • Recommended: Not essential but may be beneficial
  • Example Topics: Certifications assessing security and risk management, asset security, security engineering, communications and network security, identity and access management, security assessment and testing, security operations, software development security, information systems audit process, IT government and management, information systems acquisition, development, implementation, operations, maintenance, and service management, and protection of information assets, information security governance, security program development and management, information security incident management, system security, network infrastructure, access control, cryptography, assessments and audits, and organizational security
Continuous Learning
  • Recommended: N/A
  • Examples: N/A
  • Recommended: Yes
  • Examples: 40 hours annually (may include mentoring, shadowing, conferences, webinars, or rotations)
  • Recommended: Yes
  • Examples: 40 hours annually (may include mentoring, shadowing, conferences, webinars, or rotations)
Education
  • Recommended: No (not an Entry-level Work Role)
  • Example Types: N/A
  • Example Topics: N/A
  • Recommended: Yes
  • Example Types: Bachelor's
  • Example Topics: Information technology, information security, instructional systems design, communications
  • Recommended: Yes
  • Example Types: Bachelor's, Master's, Ph.D.
  • Example Topics: Information technology, information security, instructional systems design, communications
Experiential Learning
  • Recommended: N/A
  • Examples: N/A
  • Recommended: Yes
  • Examples: Supervised on-the-job training in systems development
  • Recommended: Yes
  • Examples: On-the-job experience and supervision in systems development
Training
  • Recommended: N/A
  • Example Types: N/A
  • Example Topics: N/A
  • Recommended: Not essential but may be beneficial
  • Example Types: N/A
  • Example Topics: Information security, information systems, cryptography, Linux, network security, troubleshooting, security operations, Unix, TCP/IP
  • Recommended: Not essential but may be beneficial
  • Example Types: N/A
  • Example Topics: Information security, information systems, cryptography, Linux, network security, troubleshooting, security operations, Unix, TCP/IP