Best practices in cybersecurity

These modules were created by Victoria Ferrell at Forsyth Technical Community College in North Carolina.  Each module presents a scenario that involves cybersecurity and poses a set of questions that students and faculty can use to identify the risks and learn how to avoid problems. Victoria would greatly appreciate feedback and ideas for additional scenarios.  She can be reached at vferrell@forsythtech.edu

Biotechnicians need to understand the potential risks of using computers, the internet, and software in their work.  Good practices in cybersecurity range from learning how to identify phishing emails to understanding that flash drives and downloaded files might contain malicious code. When it comes biotechnology, technicians also need to know how DNA sequences might be problematic and that a company's intellectual property could be compromised by sharing information on social media.

You may also be interested in the International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS), a global organization that works to reduce the risk of catastrophic events that could result from deliberate abuse or accidental misuse of bioscience and biotechnology.