BIO-ISAC Releases Security Tools to Fortify the Bioeconomy

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Bioeconomy Information Sharing and Analysis Center (BIO-ISAC) announces Fortifying the Bioeconomy, an in-depth resource about shared responsibility in hardware and software lifecycle management with new tools for industry partners and organizations in the bioeconomy. 

Under the leadership of Vincent Cervone, of Purple Raven Cybersecurity, and Jess Smith, PhD, of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Hardware and Software Security Working Group at BIO-ISAC created these tools to respond to the recent call for stronger laboratory device security protocols.

Digital attacks at Evotech^[1], Oxford University^[2], Miltenyi Biotech^[3], and Dr. Reddy's Laboratories,^[4] as well as similar incidents on power grids, oil and gas delivery, cold chain capacities, and wastewater treatment plants, have demonstrated the scale of vulnerability across infrastructures in the bioeconomy.

"Recent incidents highlight the urgency with which the continued growth of the bioeconomy relies on the safe operation of these critical digital technologies," says Charles Fracchia, Cofounder and Chairman of the Board at BIO-ISAC. "To respond to this need, we convened industry leaders to provide scalable security practices for products in the bioeconomy."

"Cybersecurity should not impede growth of the bioeconomy, it can instead pave the way for companies to forge resilient products and services," said Mr. Cervone, coauthor of the publications. "We built these tools for businesses of any size to readily identify gaps and elevate the existing benchmarks, propelling progress."

The publication includes the Biosecurity Evaluation Questionnaire, or BSEQ, designed to walk decision makers through the equipment acquisition process, with a focus on building stronger expectations from manufacturers and firms when it comes to instrument security.

"Understanding software and hardware security needs within the rapidly expanding global bioeconomy can be overwhelming for risk decision makers," said Dr. Smith, coauthor of the publications. "Resources like these are instrumental in helping leaders make more informed, effective, and efficient decisions about their critical digital infrastructure."

BIO-ISAC also published its Instrument Disposal Guide, an overview of how to prepare to remove instruments from a manufacturing site and safely remove any data captured on the equipment during its lifecycle.

"We expect these tools will be deployed at manufacturing sites globally, leaving the entire bioeconomy more secure and prepared," Mr. Fracchia states. "Now is the time to work together to create environments with safer instruments. Tomorrow is not soon enough."

To attend the upcoming briefing on December 19th and download the report, visit isac.bio/device.

About BIO-ISAC

The Bioeconomy Information Sharing and Analysis Center (BIO-ISAC), addresses threats unique to the bioeconomy and enables coordination among stakeholders to facilitate a robust and secure industry. BIO-ISAC provides two-way sharing of information between and among public and private sectors acting as the central resource for gathering information on threats to infrastructure impacting the bioeconomy and to help spur the development and evaluation of defensive tools to address these threats.

BIO-ISAC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, formally chartered in 2021, visit isac.bio for more information.

^{[1] https://www.wsj.com/articles/biotech-ceo-gets-hands-on-after-cyberattack-to-protect-business-9c6d08fe}

^{[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2021/02/25/exclusive-hackers-break-into-biochemical-systems-at-oxford-uni-lab-studying-covid-19/}

^{[3] https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/biotech-research-firm-miltenyi-biotec-hit-by-ransomware-data-leaked/}

^{[4] https://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/oct-22-data-breach-involved-a-ransomware-attack-dr-reddys/article32962438.ece}

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SOURCE Bioeconomy ISAC