A Model for Licensing IT Security

Is it feasible to license IT security professionals? By comparing the IT security profession to other licensed professions--medical doctors, civil engineers, CPAs and master electricians--this paper explores the difficulties involved in setting up licensing for IT security professionals as proposed in a 2009 U.S. Senate bill. After applying lessons from other professions, this paper argues that most of the difficulties can be resolved as long as the scope of practice for a licensed IT security professional is limited to areas where it is most needed, such as critical infrastructure.