SecurityFocus
Type of site | Computer security portal |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner | Jonathan Brossard (since 2026) |
| Created by | Oliver Friedrichs, Alfred Huger, Arthur Wong |
| URL | www |
| Commercial | No |
| Registration | Optional |
| Launched | 1999 |
| Current status | Active |
SecurityFocus is an online computer security portal and host of the Bugtraq mailing list. Founded in 1999 by Oliver Friedrichs, Alfred Huger, and Arthur Wong, the site served as a hub for vulnerability disclosure, security news, and community discussion. It maintained the Bugtraq ID (BID) vulnerability database, one of the most widely referenced sources in the CVE ecosystem.[1][2]
SecurityFocus columnists and writers included former Department of Justice cybercrime prosecutor Mark Rasch and hacker-turned-journalist Kevin Poulsen.[1]
History
[edit]SecurityFocus was established in 1999 in San Mateo, California. Elias Levy, who had moderated the Bugtraq mailing list since 1996, served as co-founder and chief technology officer. In July 1999, the Bugtraq mailing list was transferred to SecurityFocus from the Brown University NetSpace Project. The site also launched the BID vulnerability database and the DeepSight threat management service, which provided early-warning intelligence to enterprise clients.
On August 6, 2002, Symantec completed its acquisition of SecurityFocus.[3] Under Symantec, the news portal content was gradually migrated to Symantec's own platforms.[1] The Bugtraq mailing list and BID database continued to operate, though the BID database stopped being publicly updated on July 26, 2019.
In August 2019, Broadcom acquired Symantec's enterprise security business.[4] On April 30, 2020, Accenture Security completed its acquisition of Symantec's Cybersecurity Services, which included SecurityFocus.[5]
On August 6, 2026, Jonathan Brossard announced the acquisition of SecurityFocus and the Bugtraq name, describing the project as community-driven: "We are providing the platform. The community decides what it becomes."[6][2] The relaunch was announced at DEF CON 34 in Las Vegas, and the Bugtraq mailing list resumed operation as an independently run, community-driven platform. Alongside the original Bugtraq list, SecurityFocus launched a second list dedicated to AI security research and formal proofs, reachable at bugtraq@bugtraq.ai.[7] DEF CON founder Jeff Moss publicly welcomed the relaunch on the mailing list.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Dede, David (2010-03-11). "Good bye securityfocus". Sucuri Blog. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
- 1 2 "Bugtraq Is Back: The Original Full Disclosure Mailing List Is Live Again". Cyber Security News. 2026-08-08.
- ↑ "Symantec Acquisition of SecurityFocus Completed". 2002-08-06. Archived from the original on December 6, 2003. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
- ↑ "Broadcom acquires Symantec's enterprise business for $10.7 billion". CNBC. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ↑ "Accenture Completes Acquisition of Broadcom's Symantec Cyber Security Services Business". Accenture.com. April 30, 2020. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
- 1 2 "Bugtraq is back". SecurityFocus Mailing Lists. 2026-08-07.
- ↑ Roberts, Paul F. (2026-08-07). "Bugtraq Is Back: The Original Full Disclosure Mailing List Is Live Again". The Security Ledger.
