Welcome to Passcode

Passcode will deliver smart journalism to help readers better understand the complexities of the Web and our connected world. 

It's a place for the newest and boldest approaches for making the Internet safe and secure. We'll not only expose vulnerabilities but explain why they exist in the first place. 

We aim to become a virtual gathering place for the freshest and most thought-provoking voices debating security and privacy.

With our network of correspondents around the globe, we'll provide a uniquely global perspective on cybersecurity and privacy. Read more about our mission.

This article scrolls to the right. Click the arrow on the bottom of each slide to read about Passcode's new platform, team, events, and more –>

Where to read Passcode

We're publishing on both the Monitor's website and Passcode's longform storytelling platform. That's why signing up for our e-mail updates is the best way to stay up-to-date with our articles, analysis, and events. 

Passcode doesn't just exist on the Web, either: We'll gather key stakeholders to discuss pressing issues in-person. We want to build a community of readers and thinkers that we reach in person, online, and on our podcasts. 

Our Team

Passcode is anchored in Boston and Washington, D.C.

Our writers are among the most respected journalists writing today on security, defense, and Internet culture. You can write us at Passcode@csmonitor.com and follow us on Twitter.

Michael B. Farrell is Passcode's editor. He was previously a technology reporter for The Boston Globe and before that the San Francisco Bureau Chief for The Christian Science Monitor. Follow Mike.

Sara Sorcher is the deputy editor and most recently served as the national security correspondent for National Journal. Follow Sara.

These talented and award-winning journalists have joined the Passcode team:

Jaikumar Vijayan was most recently a senior editor at Computerworld and has covered NSA surveillance, big box data breaches, information security, and online privacy issues. Follow Jai.

Paul F. Roberts is a veteran security reporter who runs his own blog, Security Ledger, and founded a conference on the security of the Internet of Things. Follow Paul.

Fruzsina Eördögh is well known for her work covering tech culture, digital trends, hackers, and hacktivists. Follow Fruzsina.

And Joe Uchill, a recent graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, joins our team in Boston as the first Mark Clayton Cybersecurity Fellow, named for longtime Monitor staff writer Mark Clayton who covered the cybersecurity beat until he passed last year. Follow Joe.

Founding Columnists

Every month, each of these influential and distinct thinkers will offer perspectives on topics ranging from cybersecurity to cryptography to Internet privacy.

Christopher Ahlberg is chief executive officer and cofounder of Recorded Future, a predictive analytics startup based in Cambridge, Mass.

Lorrie Faith Cranor directs the CyLab Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University and is an expert on personal privacy on the Web.

Camille Francois focuses on cyberwar and peace as a Berkman Center fellow and as a visiting scholar at the Saltzman Institute for War and Peace Studies.

Dan Geer is chief information security officer for In-Q-Tel, which identifies and funds technology solutions to support the missions of the CIA and the broader US intelligence community.

Jason Healey directs the Cyber Statecraft Initiative at the Atlantic Council focusing on international cooperation, competition, and conflict in cyberspace.

Sascha Meinrath founded the Open Technology Institute and is an advocate for consumer privacy and unfettered access to the Web.

Bruce Schneier is a noted cryptographer and security expert who has written extensively on matters of privacy, homeland security, and the NSA.

Evan Selinger is a philosophy professor at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Melanie Teplinsky teaches information privacy law at the Washington College of Law at American University. She began her career in security as an NSA analyst. 

Nicole Wong served as deputy chief technology officer at the White House where she coauthored the Obama administration's influential report on big data and privacy. 

Our Events

One of Passcode's primary goals is to gather key stakeholders in security and privacy to discuss pressing issues in-person with interested readers. Sign up for Passcode to get a first crack at event invitations.

Upcoming events: 

Beat the Breach 

Passcode is partnering with Invincea to host this Washington-meets-Silicon Valley invitation-only event at the RSA Conference in San Francisco on cyberthreat information sharing. The event features White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Michael Daniel; the Department of Homeland Security's Phyllis Schneck; the Department of Justice's John Carlin; and the top security officials from RSA, Aetna and Symantec. 

ID360: The Identity Economy

Passcode is partnering with the University of Texas at Austin's Center for Identity for a conference on the Identity Economy. We'll discuss innovative solutions for meeting current and future challenges in identity fraud, theft, misuse, management, and protection. 

Recaps of past launch events: 

Passcode @ SXSW

Passcode hosted a panel on data discrimination at South by Southwest's Interactive festival in Austin, Texas, and three events on the sidelines. 

Guest speakers include Nicole Wong, former deputy US chief technology officer; Dan Kaufman, head of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Information Innovation Office; Nuala O'Connor, head of the Center for Democracy and Technology; and Daniel Weitzner, who leads the new MIT Cybersecurity Policy Initiative. View our multimedia recap of our SXSW events.  

The Future of Cybersecurity Innovation

Chief of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Information Innovation Office, Dan Kaufman, joined an elite panel with officials from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the MITRE Corp. to discuss trends in cybersecurity innovation. This Passcode event also featured a live demonstration of Plan X, a system DARPA is designing to give the military instantaneous knowledge of network attacks.

Cyber Framework & Critical Infrastructure

The Department of Homeland Security's chief cybersecurity official, Dr. Phyllis Schneck, joined Passcode and the Center for National Policy to discuss the progress of the nation's first cybersecurity standards to protect critical infrastructure – and the challenges ahead for information-sharing.

Cyber Risk Wednesday: Breaking the Cyber Information Sharing Logjam

Passcode columnist Jay Healey moderated a discussion at the Atlantic Council featuring White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Michael Daniel on the Obama administration's recent proposals for better practices to share information about cyber threats between private sector and government. 

Passcode Influencers

We've gathered more than 90 experts to vote in a regular survey about the most pressing issues in security and privacy.

Our Influencers come from across government, the private sector, research, and the privacy advocacy community. They include the White House cybersecurity czar Michael Daniel; former National Security Agency directors Gens. Keith Alexander and Michael Hayden; heavy-hitter cybersecurity pros such as Dan Geer and Bruce Schneier; and the incoming director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation Cindy Cohn.

Check out our full pool of Passcode Influencers.

Newsletter

Introducing your lunchtime digest: Passcode's mid-day newsletter. Passcode rounds up the most interesting and influential articles and topics in the privacy and security space, all in one handy e-mail arriving in your inbox on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

How do we know what's trending? We built an algorithm that reveals which arguments, ideas, and articles are the most influential to key figures in security and privacy. The Passcode algorithm tracks more than 100,000 Twitter accounts followed by prominent people in this space. We unravel their social media conversation in every newsletter – which also features Passcode's latest stories and analysis. We're watching Twitter so you don't have to. 

Featured stories

The Pentagon is building an app store for cyberoperations

An exclusive look inside Plan X, the futuristic platform DARPA is building for the military's cyber warriors to visualize threats and defend against digital attacks.

The race to build the Silicon Valley of cybersecurity

Cities and regions across the country vie to draw business and brainpower in a market projected to top $160 billion by 2020.

Web privacy is the newest luxury item in era of pervasive tracking

A growing number of tech firms offer online privacy tools at a price. They are giving privacy-conscious consumers new ways of avoiding tracking on the Web with self-destructing e-mails and temporary online identities. 

To attract more women, cybersecurity industry could drop macho jargon

To make this field more welcoming, female security pros recommend moving away from the aggressive language of combat and talking about protecting people instead. 

Hacker or spy? In today's cyberattacks, finding the culprit is a troubling puzzle

Opinion by columnist Bruce Schneier: The Sony hack revealed the challenges of identifying perpetrators of cyberattacks, especially as hackers can masquerade as government soldiers and spies, and vice versa. It's a dangerous new dynamic for foreign relations, especially as what governments know about hackers – and how they know it – remains secret.

Can the Senate's new Republicans usher in NSA surveillance reform?

After the Snowden leaks, many wannabe Republican senators made NSA reform a campaign platform. Now that they're in the Senate, privacy advocates hope they'll stay true to their commitment for curbing surveillance and add momentum to a reform bill.

Nicole Wong on how big data could change the way we live

After stints at the White House, Google and Twitter, Wong understands the promise and peril of big data.

Molly Sauter's quest to make political DDoS legitimate 

In 'The Coming Swarm,' Sauter argues that denial of service should be no more controversial than sit-ins.

How I learned to stop worrying and love the Twitterbot

What it's like to have your identity hijacked and replaced with a Russian-speaking Bruce Willis impostor. 

Why it's harder than ever to remain anonymous on the Web

Even with apps and services such as Whisper and Tor, many obstacles remain in the new quest for online anonymity. 

More coverage here and here. 

Partners & Sponsors

The cybersecurity and privacy conversation is far too big for Passcode to be in this game alone. 

Meet Our Partners

• The Atlantic Council | Passcode is the exclusive media partner for the think tank's monthly, cutting-edge Cyber Risk Wednesday series. Jay Healey, director of the Brent Scowcroft Center for International Security, is a Passcode founding columnist.
   
• The Center for Identity at the University of Texas at Austin | We cohosted two events on the sidelines of SXSW in March and will collaborate on major conferences in the future. 
   
• New America Foundation | Passcode and Peter Singer, strategist and senior fellow at the D.C.-based think tank, will launch The Cybersecurity Podcast, featuring the best big thinking across digital disciplines. 
   
• The Center for National Policy | CNP and Passcode have co-hosted events featuring  White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Michael Daniel and the Department of Homeland Security's top cyber official, Phyllis Schneck. 

• Center for Data Innovation | Passcode was the exclusive media partner for a December event on How Policymakers Can Build the Internet of Things with CDI, an affiliate of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
   
• Want to partner with Passcode? Email David Grant at GrantD@CSmonitor.com.  

Meet Our Sponsors

We are deeply grateful for the support of companies who believe in our mission of building a more thoughtful, constructive dialogue around issues of digital security, privacy and the future of our connected lives. 

If you are interested in Passcode sponsorship opportunities in digital or for our many events, download a brief explanation of our offerings here or email us at Sales@CSMonitor.com.