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.
9. Systems Security
| Label | KSAC Description | Bloom's Taxonomy Level | |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | Explain the objectives and functions of modern operating systems, identify potential threats to operating systems and list the security features designed to guard against them. | knowledge | 2 |
| b | Discuss networked, client-server, distributed operating systems and how they differ from single user operating systems. | knowledge | 2 |
| c | Understand the role and importance of physical security, including proximity securiity (proximity readers, access lists, biometrics, and protected distribution. | knowledge | 2 |
| d | Perform authentication control | skill | 3 |
| e | Imolement a life cycle methodology including continuous monitoring and end of life managemnt | skill | 3 |
| f | Use the kernel and user mode for executing progams in an operating system. | skill | 4 |
| g | Describe the need and the potential run-time problems arising from the concurrent operation of separate tasks. | knowledge | 2 |
| h | Summarize techniques for achieving synchronization in an operating system (e.g., describe how to implement a semaphore using OS primitives). | knowledge | 4 |
| i | Describe the difference between processes and threads. | knowledge | 2 |
| j | Summarize the principles of virtual memory as applied to caching and paging. | knowledge | 4 |
| k | Describe the role of identify and access management to manage who can access what in an neterprise | knowledge | |
| l | Implement authorization control (e.g., least privilege, separation of duties, mandatory access, rule-based access control, role-based access control), so managing priveleged access | skill | 3 |
| m | Understand authentication techniques (e.g., tokens, common access card, smart card, multifactor authentication (MFA), single sign-on (SSO), biometrics, personal identification verification card, username, federation, transitive trust/authentication). | knowledge | 2 |
| n | Understand security implications of third party connectivity and access. | knowledge | 2 |
| o | Discuss hypervisors and the need for them. | knowledge | 2 |
| p | Create, configure, and use virtual machines. | skill | 3 |