Linux Foundation and OpenSSF Release Cybersecurity Skills Framework to Strengthen Enterprise Readiness

New Customizable Global Framework Aligns IT Job Roles with Practical Cybersecurity Skills

SAN FRANCISCO, May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, today announced the launch of 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; extending beyond cybersecurity specialists. Produced in collaboration with the Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) and Linux Foundation Education, the framework delivers actionable guidance to enterprise leaders looking to systematically reduce cyber risk.

As cybersecurity threats grow in both scale and complexity, enterprise leaders are struggling to align job roles with the practical skills needed to mount an effective defense. Despite cybersecurity being one of the top three most in-demand tech roles for enterprises, major talent readiness gaps remain. According to the Linux Foundation's 2024 State of Tech Talent Report,  64 percent of organizations report candidates lack essential skills and it now takes an average of 10.2 months to hire and onboard new technical staff. Additional research from the Linux Foundation found that 62 percent of open source project stewards lacked dedicated personnel for security incident response, despite 74 percent maintaining formal cybersecurity reporting mechanisms.

These trends reflect a broader industry dilemma—growing awareness of cybersecurity needs without the personnel to tackle them—driven by unclear role expectations and fragmented training pathways. The Cybersecurity Skills Framework addresses these issues with a practical, globally relevant onramp that organizations can use to assess and build internal security capabilities. 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 framework defines practical cybersecurity expectations across foundational, intermediate, and advanced proficiency levels, while mapping those skills to recognized standards such as the DoD 8140, CISA NICE Framework, and the ICT e-CF. By aligning with widely adopted standards and allowing for customization, the framework can be easily adopted across industries, regions, and organizational sizes. The framework is available in a free, easy to use web interface which allows users to select relevant job families, move skills between categories, delete any that don't apply and add custom items they require.

The framework was produced as a result of a global research effort, with contributions and feedback from cybersecurity educators, government advisors, framework stewards, and technical training experts, who together brought comprehensive expertise in workforce development, national defense, professional certification, and open source security.

"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 Cybersecurity Skills Framework provides guidance for key roles, including web and software developers, DevOps engineers, IT project managers, platform architects, GRC managers and more. Each job role is defined by its primary cybersecurity responsibilities and aligned with practical skills in areas like 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."

The Linux Foundation and OpenSSF will update the framework annually and welcome community feedback from adopters. Organizations are encouraged to adapt and extend the model to align with their specific needs, security posture, and product portfolios.

To access the full Cybersecurity Skills Framework and explore how your organization can adopt it, visit: http://cybersecurityframework.io

Join us on Wednesday, June 11 at 11:00 am EDT for a webinar discussing the Cybersecurity Skills Framework. Visit here to register.

Supporting Quotes

"As cloud native adoption grows, so does the complexity of managing security across distributed systems. The Cybersecurity Skills Framework offers a clear, actionable resource for teams working in modern environments to assess skills, reduce risk, and embed security into every stage of the software lifecycle."

– Chris Aniszczyk, CTO, CNCF

"As the cybersecurity landscape grows more complex, particularly with the rapid rise in AI technologies, security can no longer be siloed. Businesses must champion a culture of security awareness, education, and preparedness across functions. The new framework contributes to a stronger security posture by ensuring every team—from developers to IT leaders—understands the specific security skills they need."

– Jamie Thomas, IBM Enterprise Security Executive

"Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, and closing the skills gap is essential to building secure systems at scale. The OpenSSF Cybersecurity Skills Framework provides a clear, actionable roadmap for equipping technical teams with the right knowledge to protect our digital infrastructure, thus raising the bar for security readiness across the industry."

– Arun Gupta, VP of Developer Programs, Intel / Governing Board Chair for CNCF & OpenSSF

"Cybersecurity today seems more complicated than ever. It can be difficult to keep up with the evolving cyber risk landscape and what skills internal teams need to approach and mitigate those risks. The Cybersecurity Skills Framework is a much needed blueprint for how developers should approach career development, teams plan for adapting to new risks, and organizations build training governance for the continuous evolution of their cybersecurity programs."

–  Michael Lieberman, CTO and Co-Founder, Kusari

"The Cybersecurity Skills Framework is grounded in extensive global research and community collaboration. By surfacing practical, role-specific insights, the framework helps enterprise leaders understand where their cybersecurity capabilities stand—and where they need to grow. It's a meaningful step toward bridging the persistent skills gap we've seen across sectors."

– Hilary Carter, SVP Research at the Linux Foundation

"Security is a shared responsibility across the open source ecosystem. This framework is a powerful tool to help developers, project leaders, and enterprise teams better understand how their roles contribute to a secure software supply chain. It supports the kind of continuous learning culture that is essential to sustainable open source development."

– Robin Bender Ginn, Executive Director, OpenJS Foundation

"The need for experienced cybersecurity practitioners continues to increase, and a clear understanding of cybersecurity roles, responsibilities, and required skills is not just beneficial - it is the foundation for a resilient and secure organization. The Linux Foundation's Cybersecurity Skills Framework provides guidance to help leaders and practitioners understand the baseline skills needed for various roles. It serves as an excellent starting point for cybersecurity practitioners looking to enter the field or plan their career progression. Additionally, it helps leaders identify the necessary roles and skills to meet their cybersecurity demands."

–  Dave Russo, Senior Principal Program Manager, Secure Development, Red Hat

About the Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation is the world's leading home for collaboration on open source software, hardware, standards, and data. Linux Foundation projects are critical to the world's infrastructure, including Linux, Kubernetes, LF Decentralized Trust, Node.js, ONAP, OpenChain, OpenSSF, PyTorch, RISC-V, SPDX, Zephyr, and more. The Linux Foundation focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users, and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org.

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Media Contact
Noah Lehman
The Linux Foundation
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SOURCE The Linux Foundation