NI

NATI O NAL I N

CEI T IATIVE F OR 

CYBERSECURITY EDUCATION

nist.gov/nice

NICE Cybersecurity 

Workforce Framework

NIST Special Publication 800-181

The concept for the NICE Framework began before the 

establishment of NICE and grew out of the recognition that 

the cybersecurity workforce in both the public and private 

sectors could not be defined and assessed. To address this 

challenge, more than 20 departments and agencies, the private 

sector, and academia came together to provide a common 

understanding of cybersecurity work. The common 

understanding developed has been expressed in two previous 

version of the NICE Framework and has evolved with further 

engagement between the government, private sector, and 

academia. 

nist.gov/nice/framework 

Employers - to help define their cybersecurity workforce, identify 

critical gaps in cybersecurity staffing, and create position 

descriptions consistent with national language. 

Current and Future cybersecurity workers - to help explore 

Tasks and Work Roles and assist with understanding the KSAs 

that are being valued by employers for in-demand cybersecurity 

jobs and positions. Staffing specialists and guidance counselors 

are also enabled to use the NICE Framework as a resource to 

support these employees or job seekers.

Training and certification providers - to help current and future 

members of the cybersecurity workforce gain and demonstrate 

the KSAs.

Education providers - to help develop curriculum, certificate or 

degree programs, and research that cover the KSAs and Tasks 

described.

Technology providers - to identify cybersecurity Work Roles and 

specific Tasks and KSAs associated with services and hardware or 

software products they supply. 

Categories: A high-level grouping of common cybersecurity 

functions

Specialty Areas: Represent an area of concentrated work, or 

function, within cybersecurity and related work 

Work Roles: The most detailed groupings of cybersecurity and 

related work, which include a list of attributes required to 

perform that role in the form of a list of knowledge, skills, and 

abilities (KSAs) and a list of tasks performed in that role 

Tasks: Specific work activities that could be assigned to an 

individual working in one of the NICE Framework’s Work Roles 

KSAs: Attributes required to perform Tasks, generally 

demonstrated through relevant experience or performancebased education and training

This publication serves as a fundamental reference to support 

a workforce capable of meeting an organization’s cybersecurity 

needs. It provides organizations with a common, consistent 

lexicon that categorizes and describes cybersecurity work by 

Category, Specialty Area, and Work Role. It provides a superset 

of cybersecurity Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) and 

Tasks for each work role. The NICE Framework supports 

consistent organizational and sector communication for 

cybersecurity education, training, and workforce development. 

COLLECT &

OPERATE INVESTIGATE

The NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework (NICE 

Framework) improves communication about how to identify, 

recruit, develop, and retain cybersecurity talent. It is a resource 

from which organizations or sectors can develop additional 

publications or tools that meet their needs to define or provide 

guidance on different aspects of workforce development, 

planning, training, and education. 

WHY?

PURPOSE

DEVELOPMENT

AUDIENCE

DEFINITIONS

LEARN MORE

OPERATE & 

MAINTAIN

OVERSEE & 

GOVERN

PROTECT & 

DEFEND

SECURELY

PROVISION ANALYZE