BLUF
While digitizing DNA has the potential to significantly advance medical research and innovation, it poses substantial cybersecurity and privacy risks that must be addressed.
Risks of Digitizing DNA
DNA Digitizing human DNA, notably through consumer DNA testing services, introduces severe privacy concerns. DNA represents the ultimate personally identifiable information (PII), which unlike other identifiers such as Social Security numbers, cannot be altered if compromised (Rizkallah, 2018). Once digitized, DNA data is permanently vulnerable to cyber breaches and unauthorized use. The potential misuse of DNA information encompasses many things, including identity theft, discrimination in employment or insurance, and unauthorized secondary uses in law enforcement or commercial sectors.
Cybersecurity Implications
The rise of “cyberbiosecurity” is creating a critical intersection between biotechnology and cybersecurity. The inherent vulnerability of DNA databases makes them attractive targets for cybercriminals (Rizkallah, 2018). The University of Washington demonstrated that DNA itself can be weaponized by encoding malicious code into a DNA strand capable of compromising sequencing software (TechCrunch, 2017). As evidenced by breaches in direct-to-consumer DNA testing services and the potential for biological malware, securing genetic information requires rigorous cybersecurity measures. Organizations handling DNA data must establish strong, transparent practices and standards similar to those in frameworks like NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework (CF). This would provide essential safeguards against unauthorized access and misuse, ensuring the ethical handling and protection of genetic data.
Conclusion
Given the irreversible and sensitive nature of DNA data, it will be highly important to set ethical guidelines and tight cybersecurity measures. Without careful and proactive management, the digitization of DNA may result in profound and irreversible privacy violations and exploitation, significantly affecting individual autonomy and broader societal security.
References
Rizkallah, J. (2018). Hacking humans: Protecting our DNA from cybercriminals. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/11/29/hacking-humans-protectingour-dna-from-cybercriminals/?sh=31cfac3a5287
TechCrunch. (2017). Researchers encode malware in DNA to hack a computer.
https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/10/researchers-encode-malware-in-dna-to-hack-a-com puter/