Explore KSACs by Pathway
In late 2025, the Partnership pulled together members of industry from across tech to share how the in-demand skillsets for entry-level roles in their fields have changed in the last two years. The Knowledge, Skills & Abilities and Credentials (KSACs) below reflect their feedback on entry-level expectations, especially in a tech workplace increasingly shaped by AI.
8. Network Security & Engineering
| Label | KSAC Description | Bloom's Taxonomy Level | |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | Apply networking fundamentals to infrastructure in an organization including Defense in Depth | skill | 3 |
| b | Select network storage interfaces (e.g., fiber channel, Internet Small Computer System Interface [iSCSI], Fiber Channel over Ethernet [FCoE], Serial Attached SCSI [SAS], Network File Systems [NFS], Network Attached Storage/Server Message Blocks [NAS/SMB]). | skill | 3 |
| c | Setup and maintain secure roles and system management techniques (e.g., password, group, and user privilege policies and monitoring). | skill | 4 |
| d | Demonstrate an understanding of network security devices (IDS, IPS, FW, NGFW, WAF, CDN, etc.). | kowledge | 3 |
| e | Design a secure small office/home office (SOHO) network | skill | 3 |
| f | Apply network protocols (e.g., IPSec, SNMP, SSH, DNS, TLS, SSL, TCP/IP, FTPS, HTTPS, SCP, ICMP, etc.) and their impact on security | skill | 3 |
| g | Apply Ipv4 and IPv6 securely | skill | 2 |
| h | Apply wireless security configurations (e.g., Disable SSID broadcast, TKIP, CCMP, antenna placement, power level controls). | skill | 2 |
| i | Apply the principles of secure network design (e.g., DMZ, subnetting, NAT/PAT, remote access, telephony, virtualization, honeypots). | skill | 3 |
| j | Implement port security, including an undersanding of port scanning and network traffic monitoring | skill | 2 |
| k | Understand how to mitigate network threats (e.g., flood guards, loop protection, implicit deny, network separation, log analysis, Unified Threat Management, peripheral and removable media). | knowledge | 2 |
| l | Describe the characteristics and uses of networks, network devices, and components | knowledge | 2 |
| m | Design a basic network diagram given a specific need and set of hosts. | skill | 3 |
| n | Install and configure network security mechanisms (firewalls, switches, load balancers, proxies, security gateways, spam filters, IDS/IPS, VPN, etc.). | skill | 3 |
| o | Understand and use basic network assessment tools (e.g. Wireshark, NMAP, port scanner) | knowledge | 3 |
| p | Understand, setup, and maintain the key cybersecurity principles in network defense (defense in depth, minimizing exposure, etc.). | skill | 4 |
| q | Understand the process of vulnerability identification and assessment. | knowledge | 2 |
| r | Understand, setup and maintain user roles and system management techniques (e.g., password, groups, user privilege policies and monitoring). | knowledge | 2 |
| s | Monitor and manage a network using Unified Threat Management (UTM) | skill | 3 |
| t | Manage PKI and certificates (transport encryption, non-repudiation, hashing, digital signatures). | skill | 2 |
| u | Understand the concept of opening/extending the network perimeter and the role of a cloud access security broker (CASB). | knowledge | 2 |
| v | Identify threats using discovery tools and utilities (e.g., protocol analyzer, vulnerability scanner, honeypots, honeynets, port scanner). | ability | 3 |