Cyberbiosecurity Challenges of Pathogen Genome Databases

Abstract

Pathogen detection, identification, and tracking is shifting from non-molecular methods, DNA fingerprinting methods, and single gene methods to methods relying on whole genomes. Viral Ebola and influenza genome data are being used for real-time tracking, while food-borne bacterial pathogen outbreaks and hospital outbreaks are investigated using whole genomes in the UK, Canada, the USA and the other countries. Also, plant pathogen genomes are starting to be used to investigate plant disease epidemics such as the wheat blast outbreak in Bangladesh. While these genome-based approaches provide never-seen advantages over all previous approaches with regard to public health and biosecurity, they also come with new vulnerabilities and risks with regard to cybersecurity. The more we rely on genome databases, the more likely these databases will become targets for cyber-attacks to interfere with public health and biosecurity systems by compromising their integrity, taking them hostage, or manipulating the data they contain. Also, while there is the potential to collect pathogen genomic data from infected individuals or agricultural and food products during disease outbreaks to improve disease modeling and forecast, how to protect the privacy of individuals, growers, and retailers is another major cyberbiosecurity challenge. As data become linkable to other data sources, individuals and groups become identifiable and potential malicious activities targeting those identified become feasible. Here, we define a number of potential cybersecurity weaknesses in today's pathogen genome databases to raise awareness, and we provide potential solutions to strengthen cyberbiosecurity during the development of the next generation of pathogen genome databases.

Facing the 2020 pandemic: What does cyberbiosecurity want us to know to safeguard the future?

“…Nonetheless, cyberbiosecurity is still in its infancy. There is still limited expertise to fully characterize and assess the emerging cyberbio risks [ 8 ], and it has been recognized that generic cyber and information security measures are insufficient [ [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] , [13] , [14] ].…”

“… V “The intellectual property, manufacturing processes, regulatory requirements and sophisticated cyber-physical systems involved in the production of biologic therapies may be particularly vulnerable to three major forms of cyberattacks: sabotage (deliberate and malicious acts that damage digital or physical infrastructure), corporate espionage (gaining access to sensitive information to attain advantage over an adversary), and crime/extortion (encrypting files with a ransom note asking for remuneration for their return) (Morag, 2014).” ibid. V Biological Databases “The more we rely on genome databases, the more likely these databases will become targets for cyber-attacks to interfere with public health and biosecurity systems by compromising their integrity, taking them hostage, or manipulating the data they contain.” [ 12 ] C “Many web sites provide methods for users to upload data. Interestingly, there seems to be no case where the data integrity is checked during the transfer process....” ibid.…”

“…the Hazard Analysis Control Point system for the Fd + Ag sector or, more generally, The Infrastructure Survey Tool [ 36 ] or NIST guidelines [ 37 ]), it is recognized that fully scoping all the cyberbio risks, not to mention their relative likelihood and impact, is rather challenging [ 8 , 22 , 23 ]. Although some of the cyberbio vulnerabilities share compelling similarities to the early days of the internet [ 38 ], there are critical differences [ [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] , 14 ].…”

“…Several suggestions have been made to secure specific new cyberbio challenges via various cyber applications (e.g. [ 5 , 10 , 12 , 14 , 21 , 38 , 66 ]). Nonetheless, their practical realization is not always straightforward as even most basic information security notions still need to be better adapted to the bioscience framework (see e.g.…”

Foliar pathogenic fungi: growing threats to global food security and ecosystem health

“…Though surveillance and management methods can be effectively applied to prevent severe impacts, many of the fungi causing outbreaks have no cure. The past few decades have witnessed an increasing number of severe fungal infectious diseases in natural populations of humans, animals and plants (Vinatzer et al, 2019). As with the recent global challenge of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in humans, scientists predict that a potential crop pandemic will occur sooner rather than later.…”