Under the Clinger-Cohen Act, which of the following is a criterion for a system to be considered National Security System?

• A. Involves cryptologic activities related to national security
• B. Involves civilian healthcare data
• C. Involves public social media data
• D. Involves routine consumer billing records

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that a National Security System is defined by performing cryptologic activities related to national security. Under the Clinger-Cohen Act, systems that support cryptographic operations, signals intelligence, or other cryptology-focused tasks tied to national security qualify as NSS. This focus on cryptologic work distinguishes NSS from systems handling other sensitive data that aren’t inherently cryptologic or tied to national security. So, a system that involves cryptologic activities related to national security fits the criterion, while civilian healthcare data, public social media data, or routine consumer billing records do not by themselves meet this requirement.