DNA testing services have become increasingly popular due to human curiosity and advancements in digital technology. While the services can actually help in medical research, they also introduce severe security and privacy concerns.

Digitized DNA opens up a whole new frontier called “cyberbiosecurity” that looks at the risks from digitizing life sciences data. DNA is considered to be the ultimate PII, hence very valuable to cybercriminals. Unlike other forms of PII, such as Social Security numbers, DNA is permanent and cannot be changed if compromised. Because of this, the potential consequences of a DNA data breach are particularly grave. The article broaches ethical questions, such as whether or not it would be right for employers to request DNA information about job applicants. It also makes another point: that far stronger security will be needed in order to hold a dam against hackers of this sensitive data. Adding DNA to the new vectors in a growing number of human vulnerabilities that hackers exploit in cybersecurity, new challenges arise for cybersecurity professionals.

According to the author, innovation cannot be stopped, but he does make sure to say that consumers should be aware of how digital DNA will be stored, secured, and used; they should, in fact, demand appropriate security measures from any organization that would handle DNA data to protect this highly valuable personal information. The overall call in the article is for vigilance among consumers when it comes to sharing DNA data, given the seriousness and gravity that such data would have if compromised in any breach event.