Information System Security Professional (Cybersecurity Mission) - Entry to Experienced Level
The professionals at the National Security Agency (NSA) have one common goal: to protect our nation. The mission requires a strong offense and a steadfast defense. The offense collects, processes and disseminates intelligence information derived from foreign signals for intelligence and counterintelligence purposes. The defense prevents adversaries from gaining access to sensitive classified national security information.
NSA Cybersecurity mission is to prevent and eradicate threats to National Security Systems and critical infrastructure, with a focus on the Defense Industrial Base. This diverse team of problem solvers collaborate across industry and government to expose foreign cyber espionage, patch critical vulnerabilities, modernize encryption, and issue unique, timely, and actionable cybersecurity guidance. Here, you will have unique access to classified and unclassified data to solve hard problems and secure critical systems. If you enjoy creatively mission outcomes, cybersecurity at NSA is the place for you.
Information System Security Professionals play a vital role in enabling security solutions by utilizing systems engineering and systems security engineering principles in:
- defining information system security requirements and functionality
- designing system architectures
- developing security designs
- assessing the effectiveness of security solutions against present and projected threats
- producing formal and informal reports, briefings, and direct input to the customer regarding security and functionality requirements, system architecture and security designs
Information System Security professionals are hired into positions directly supporting a technical mission office or into the Cybersecurity Engineering Development Program.
The Cybersecurity Engineering Development Program is a 3 year program. To meet the Agency's evolving mission, NSA's core discipline of Information System Security and Cryptographic Engineering must remain strong and agile. Information System Security and Cryptographic Engineering integrates computer science, engineering and mathematics along with Information Assurance/Cybersecurity Analysis skills, so that the Agency can define the standards for high-assurance as the trusted authority for National Security System (NSS) communications. Our nation's security will be determined by NSA's ability to develop experts in these skills, in order to keep pace with the complex and powerful threats introduced by our adversaries. No academic course of study or university program provides the necessary depth of skills and practical hands-on experience required by the Agency, thus the Cybersecurity Engineering Development Program is the only program in the US government designed to develop and advance the core skillset essential to protecting the US's national security systems.