NSA certifies information security staff.

At a recent series of ceremonies held at the National Security Agency, Chief Information Officer Richard Turner recognized a total of 51 civilian and military personnel for achieving Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) status.

Over the past nine months NSA employees have been preparing for the CISSP examination by undertaking a rigorous program of internal training and self-study. Turner recognized the results of these individuals' efforts while demonstrating his support for the professionalization of the information security work force at NSA.

Certification of the individuals performing these functions is part of a larger agency program designed to enhance its own information systems security environment.

"We are proud to welcome these new CISSPs from NSA to the growing number of information security professionals throughout the world who are obtaining CISSP certification," said Jim Duffy, executive director of the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, (ISC)2.

"NSA continues to demonstrate its leadership role within the federal information security community by recognizing the importance of professionalizing its information technology work force through CISSP certification."

Considered the "gold standard" in cyber security credentials, the CISSP is tailored for experienced information security professionals with at least three years of cumulative work experience in at least one of 10 domains of the Common Body of Knowledge (CBK), a comprehensive compendium of security best practices developed and maintained by (ISC)2.

Domains represent broad subject areas in the information security field, including access control systems and methodology, application and systems development security, business continuity and disaster recovery planning. Exam questions for the CISSP are based on the CBK.