Duties
NSA is a world leader in both the protection and exploitation of intelligence. NSA's mission is to collect and process foreign intelligence to answer critical questions from policy makers, our military, and our national leaders. While very few of the action movies you watch about NSA describe our protect mission, defending US critical infrastructure from attack is extremely important as well. At the end of the day, our job is to keep the Nation safe and informed about potential threats from foreign adversaries.
Cryptanalysis, or codebreaking, is at the heart of NSA. Cryptanalysts monitor, collect, and process encrypted communications from foreign nations who may post a threat to the United States. We perform the cryptanalytic mission on encrypted foreign collection containing bespoke encryption algorithms and strong commercial cryptography. Additionally, cryptanalysts provide solutions to authenticate and enable computer network exploitation of the United States' foreign adversaries. Our outcomes yield the highest impact intelligence and security outcomes for NSA and the Nation.
If you enjoy reverse engineering code and working with low level languages, this may be a great position for you. Cryptanalysis has incredible teams made up of analysts with a multitude of backgrounds, including computer science, computer engineering, cybersecurity, and more. If you would like to leverage your background and be a part of our exciting mission, apply now!
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position.
Qualifications
The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position.
Degree must be in Computer Science (CS), Mathematics, or Engineering. Related fields (e.g., Information Technology, Information Systems) may be considered relevant if the programs contain, at minimum, courses in 4 out of 6 of the following CS/math areas: algorithms; computer architecture (not network architecture); logic and computation; programming methodologies and languages; data structures; and mathematics (calculus or above) or statistics.
Relevant experience must be in one or more of the following: cryptanalysis, programming, math, statistics, ethical hacking, or network security at the operating systems level or deeper.
FULL PERFORMANCE
Entry is with a Bachelor's degree plus 3 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree plus 1 year of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree and no experience.
Education
The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position.
Degree must be in Computer Science (CS), Mathematics, or Engineering. Related fields (e.g., Information Technology, Information Systems) may be considered relevant if the programs contain, at minimum, courses in 4 out of 6 of the following CS/math areas: algorithms; computer architecture (not network architecture); logic and computation; programming methodologies and languages; data structures; and mathematics (calculus or above) or statistics.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
The ideal candidate will have 3 year+ experience with low level programming (C, C++, Assembly), as well as:
-Proficiency in C/C++
-Experience with software debugging
-Software reverse engineering tradecraft
-Network protocol analysis
-Operating System/Kernel knowledge
-Vulnerability research
-Cryptography basics