A new report has sounded a warning against the looming cyber threats against DNA sequencing technologies. With more genetic information being digitized and warehoused in cloud-based databases, scientists have sounded alarm bells over their susceptibility to hackers seeking to mine sensitive biological data.
Experts point to the distinctive and irreversible properties of DNA to argue that violations are particularly risky, with far-reaching consequences from identity theft to focused bio-surveillance. As opposed to credit card or password information, your genetic sequence cannot be reset or altered after exposure.
The report also cites the increasing application of sequencing in healthcare, scientific research, and even ancestry tracing services, all of which harvest enormous volumes of intensely personal data. Poor cybersecurity infrastructure on some of these platforms would leave them vulnerable to exploitation by cybercriminals or adversarial organizations.
Scientists are now urging the immediate creation of strong security measures, encryption techniques, and legislative regulation. As DNA information is becoming the foundation of contemporary medicine and personal identity, its protection is now the issue of universal digital health security.
