The Evolution of S&P Magazine

This is the first in a series of promotions we will be doing related to the IEEE Computer Society’s 80^th anniversary to highlight the work Computer Society volunteers and authors have done for our publications.

Tech security and privacy are growing concerns in the world, especially as services related to health, wealth, and happiness increasingly get digitalized for convenience. In this way, IEEE Security and Privacy (S&P) offers timely insights written by experts on topics that are of growing concern to humanity.

As current Editor in Chief, Jeffrey Voas explains, “The article ‘A 20th Anniversary Episode Chat with S&P Editors George Cybenko, Carl Landwehr, Shari Lawrence Pfleeger, and Sean Peisert’ highlights the creation and continuity of IEEE Security & Privacy magazine. This article was derived from a podcast that allowed recent and former EICs to discuss the value of the magazine and their thinking at the time of their leadership. They also discuss their thoughts on the topics of security and privacy and how they view the field now.”

The chat takes an intriguing dive into the history of the IEEE Security & Privacy magazine through the eyes of the editors at the helm, steering it toward success. It shows how the magazine’s longevity is a byproduct of flexibility and editorial agility in response to a security and privacy landscape that can change in the blink of an eye.

The Beginning: Founding the IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine (2000 to 2003)

Around 2000, George Cybenko started discussing the launch of a magazine dedicated to security and privacy with his contemporaries in the IEEE Computer Society. The initial vision was simple: Make web security and privacy accessible to a wide-ranging audience. The focus on digital privacy concerns was particularly timely as internet adoption accelerated.

The technology security and privacy world had primarily been the domain of cryptography specialists and researchers. The magazine was meant to introduce these concepts to practitioners and the general public.

The Early Years: Impactful Articles Catapult the Magazine into the Mainstream (Mid-2000s)

The magazine focused on provocative, real-world examples of security challenges and professionals in action. For instance, Simson Garfinkel wrote an article on the digital privacy implications of discarded hard drives and information being sold on the second-hand device market, and Matt Blaze broke down lock picking.

As a result, several articles got picked up by the New York Times. Vaulting into mainstream media validated the magazine’s strategy: widening people’s perspectives on security, because it is not just a tech issue, it is a humanity issue.

The Growth Years: Building Systems to Bake In Quality Content (2003-2010)

The magazine built a systematic editorial triage process, first under Editor in Chief (EIC) George Cybenko and then EIC Carl Landwehr. They began to use annual editorial board meetings to define the issues the magazine was going to focus on, ensuring its content was always current and actionable. The aim was to reach a sweet spot on content: neither amateurish, nor so technical as to overwhelm readers.

Landwehr ushered in an era of heightened accountability, making sure everything the magazine published was applicable in a real-world setting. In this way, the magazine maintained its position as an effective resource for web security and privacy practitioners.

A Shift in Focus: Pfleeger Adjusts the Magazine’s Scope (2013-2015)

EIC Shari Lawrence Pfleeger expanded the magazine’s focus to hone in on the social and organizational elements of security.

She also decided to anchor the magazine’s topics in the needs of its audience. She harvested insights from reader surveys that revealed the target audience saw no real difference between research and department articles. This inspired a shift toward even broader accessibility.

Coverage of the Volkswagen emissions software scandal delivered on Pfleeger’s mission. It addressed topics germane to the magazine’s readership, such as the ethics and societal impact of security issues.

Influencing the Future of Security: Maturing into a Policy-Relevant Platform (2015 to present)

Security has grown into a multidisciplinary concern involving hardware, AI, medical device technology, security, policy, and ethics. As security permeates all technology, the information in this magazine will become increasingly important as time goes on, becoming a significant resource for practitioners, professors, policy-makers, and humanity in general.

By the time Security and Privacy reached its 20th anniversary in 2023, it became a reputable publication serving as a bridge between technical security experts and the public.

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IEEE Security & Privacy magazine has been a literary anchor for the security industry for a quarter of a century. It surfaces the most relevant issues for security practitioners and enthusiasts, standing out amongst the digital noise and flashy headlines that often dominate the infosec sphere. Check out the latest issue, which highlights the challenge of implementing the observe, orient, decide, act (OODA) framework in agentic AI.

You can explore IEEE Security & Privacy for insights on safeguarding systems, data, and people amid rapid technological change.