Cybersecurity Skills Framework connects the dots between IT job roles and the practical skills needed
The Linux Foundation, in collaboration with OpenSSF and Linux Foundation Education, has released the Cybersecurity Skills Framework, a global reference guide that helps organizations identify and address critical cybersecurity competencies across a broad range of IT job families.
“Cybersecurity is now a leadership issue, not just a technical one,” said Steve Fernandez, General Manager at OpenSSF. “Our framework gives organizations a straightforward way to identify gaps and prioritize the security skills that matter most, based on role and responsibility—not just checklists. It’s about building real-world resilience.”
The framework provides leaders with an easy way to understand the cybersecurity skills needed, quickly identify knowledge gaps, and incorporate critical skills into all of their IT roles.
By establishing a shared language for cybersecurity readiness, the framework prepares everyone who touches a system to take responsibility for security, not just the cybersecurity specialists: from app developers to web developers, network engineers to database engineers, solutions architects to enterprise architects.
The Cybersecurity Skills Framework lays out expectations at foundational, intermediate, and advanced levels, mapped to standards like DoD 8140, CISA NICE, and ICT e-CF, and offers a free web interface where organizations can pick job families, tailor skills lists, and add or remove items as needed.
It also defines key cybersecurity duties for roles such as developers, DevOps engineers, IT project managers, architects, and GRC managers, aligning each with practical skills in secure design, compliance, vulnerability management, and incident response.
“This framework is a valuable tool for CIOs, CISOs, and enterprise learning teams,” said Clyde Seepersad, SVP and General Manager of Linux Foundation Education. “In an era of accelerating threats, leaders need clear pathways for strengthening security culture across technical teams. This resource helps organizations take a proactive approach to employee development and risk reduction.”