Cryptographer
Cryptographers protect important information from interception, copying, modification, or deletion. They evaluate weaknesses in cryptographic security systems and algorithms, design security systems that prevent vulnerabilities, and research and test new cryptology theories and applications.
Updated
- Career track
- Security Architecture
- Median pay, May 2025
- $126,710
- Also called
- Cryptanalyst, Encryption expert, Cryptographic vulnerability analyst
What They Do
11 tasks- Protect important information from interception, copying, modification, or deletion.
- Evaluate and analyze weaknesses in cryptographic security systems and algorithms.
- Design security systems that prevent vulnerabilities.
- Design, analyze, and decipher encryption systems that carry military, political, financial, or law enforcement information in code.
- Develop statistical and mathematical models to analyze data and solve security problems.
- Test computational models for reliability and accuracy.
- Probe communication lines, such as wireless networks, secure telephones, cellphones, and email, for weaknesses.
- Make sure message data in transit is not illegally accessed or altered.
- Investigate, research, and test new cryptology theories and applications.
- Analyze data and test hypotheses about it, usually with computer programs.
- Debug and test software programs.
Knowledge and Skills
- Mathematics, including algebra, calculus, statistics, and their applications
- Algorithms and data structures
- Logic and computation
- Computer architecture
- Programming methodologies and languages, including low-level languages
- Software reverse engineering
- Network security at the operating system level or deeper
- Computer hardware and software, including applications and programming
How to Become a Cryptographer
A career profile on CISA's NICCS site, produced by CYBER.ORG, lists a degree as required for cryptographers and cryptanalysts and encourages a master's degree focusing on mathematics or computer science. O*NET lists cryptographer among the reported job titles for mathematicians, an occupation in its job zone five, where most occupations require graduate school.
The National Security Agency trains cryptanalysts through its Cryptanalysis Development Program, a three-year program of formal training courses and five tours of duty in cryptanalytic offices. Its USAJOBS announcement allowed entry with a bachelor's degree and no experience, in mathematics, engineering, computer science, or a related field such as data science, physics, or statistics.
For experienced hires, an NSA cryptanalytic programmer announcement accepted a bachelor's degree plus 3 years of relevant experience, a master's degree plus 1 year, or a doctoral degree with no experience. Relevant experience could come from cryptanalysis, programming, mathematics, statistics, ethical hacking, or network security at the operating system level or deeper.
The NICCS profile lists these soft skills for the role: intelligence, analytical ability, creativity, the ability to tackle complex mathematical problems, and trustworthiness.
Pay and Outlook
Figures are U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data for the occupation Mathematicians (O*NET-SOC 15-2021.00), which covers this role.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a cryptographer do?→
A cryptographer protects information from interception, copying, modification, or deletion. The work includes evaluating weaknesses in cryptographic systems and algorithms, designing security systems that prevent vulnerabilities, building mathematical models to solve security problems, and researching and testing new cryptology theories.
Is a cryptanalyst the same as a cryptographer?→
The NICCS career profile covers cryptographer and cryptanalyst in one profile, also called encryption expert. NSA describes cryptanalysis as codebreaking, and its cryptanalysts analyze signals and cryptographic data and debug and test software programs.
How do I become a cryptographer?→
The NICCS career profile lists a degree as required and encourages a master's degree focusing on mathematics or computer science. NSA's Cryptanalysis Development Program takes entrants with a bachelor's degree and no experience and trains them over three years. Experienced NSA hires qualify with a degree plus relevant experience in areas such as cryptanalysis, programming, mathematics, or network security.
What degree do you need to be a cryptographer?→
The NICCS career profile lists a degree as required and encourages a master's degree focusing on mathematics or computer science. O*NET places cryptographers in the mathematicians occupation, where most jobs require graduate school. NSA cryptanalysis announcements accept degrees in mathematics, engineering, computer science, or related fields such as data science, physics, or statistics.
What skills does a cryptographer need?→
O*NET rates mathematics, including algebra, calculus, and statistics, as the most important knowledge area for the occupation. NSA cryptanalysis announcements ask for coursework in algorithms, computer architecture, logic and computation, programming, and data structures, and describe software reverse engineering as core to the work.
How much does a cryptographer make?→
O*NET lists cryptographer among the job titles for mathematicians. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median annual wage for mathematicians was $126,710 in May 2025.
Sources
Role descriptions follow the sources listed above: U.S. government workforce data first, then standards bodies and, where named in the text, certification issuers. This site is not affiliated with CISA, the Department of Labor, or the Department of Defense.