TY - JOUR
T1 - Analysis of security and privacy challenges for DNA-genomics applications and databases
AU - Arshad, Saadia
AU - Arshad, Junaid
AU - Khan, Muhammad Mubashir
AU - Parkinson, Simon
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/7/1
Y1 - 2021/7/1
N2 - DNA technology is rapidly moving towards digitization. Scientists use software tools and applications for sequencing, synthesizing, analyzing and sharing of DNA and genomic data, operate lab equipment and store genetic information in shared datastores. Using cutting-edge computing methods and techniques, researchers have decoded human genome, created organisms with new capabilities, automated drug development and transformed food safety. Such software applications are typically developed to progress scientific understanding and as such cyber security is never a concern for these applications. However, with the increasing commercialisation of DNA technologies, coupled with the sensitivity of DNA data, there is a need to adopt a security-by-design approach. In this paper we investigate bio-cyber security threats to genomic-DNA data and software applications making use of such data to advance scientific research. Specifically, we adopt an empirical approach to analyse and identify vulnerabilities within genomic-DNA databases and bioinformatics software applications that can lead to cyber-attacks affecting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of such sensitive data. We present a detailed analysis of these threats and highlight potential protection mechanisms to help researchers pursue these research directions.
AB - DNA technology is rapidly moving towards digitization. Scientists use software tools and applications for sequencing, synthesizing, analyzing and sharing of DNA and genomic data, operate lab equipment and store genetic information in shared datastores. Using cutting-edge computing methods and techniques, researchers have decoded human genome, created organisms with new capabilities, automated drug development and transformed food safety. Such software applications are typically developed to progress scientific understanding and as such cyber security is never a concern for these applications. However, with the increasing commercialisation of DNA technologies, coupled with the sensitivity of DNA data, there is a need to adopt a security-by-design approach. In this paper we investigate bio-cyber security threats to genomic-DNA data and software applications making use of such data to advance scientific research. Specifically, we adopt an empirical approach to analyse and identify vulnerabilities within genomic-DNA databases and bioinformatics software applications that can lead to cyber-attacks affecting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of such sensitive data. We present a detailed analysis of these threats and highlight potential protection mechanisms to help researchers pursue these research directions.
KW - Cyberbiosecurity
KW - DNA
KW - Genomics
KW - Cyber-attacks
KW - Vulnerabilities
KW - Bioinformatics
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85108076242&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jbi.2021.103815
DO - 10.1016/j.jbi.2021.103815
M3 - Article
VL - 119
JO - Journal of Biomedical Informatics
JF - Journal of Biomedical Informatics
SN - 1532-0464
M1 - 103815
ER -