Next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) is under increasing criticism for its cyber risks. While NGS has transformed disciplines ranging from cancer diagnosis to infectious disease tracking, a recent study warns that the platforms that enable these advancements could also be used as a gateway by hackers and bad actors.
The study, published in IEEE Access and headed by Dr. Nasreen Anjum of the University of Portsmouth's School of Computing, is the first to systematically map cyber-biosecurity vulnerabilities throughout the NGS workflow.
NGS technology, which enables rapid and cost-effective DNA and RNA sequencing, supports not only cancer research and medicine development, but also agricultural innovation and forensic science. Its ability to process millions to billions of DNA fragments at once has significantly reduced the cost and enhanced the speed of genome analysis, making it a standard in labs around the world.
However, the study focuses on a less-discussed aspect of this technological advancement: the increasing number of vulnerabilities at each stage of the NGS pipeline. From sample preparation to sequencing and data processing, each stage requires specialised instruments, complicated software, and networked systems.
According to Dr. Anjum, these interrelated processes generate several points where security might be compromised. As large genetic databases are being stored and shared online, cybercriminals are more likely to access and misuse this sensitive information.
The report cautions that such breaches might lead to not only privacy violations or identity tracing, but potentially more serious possibilities like data manipulation or the fabrication of synthetic DNA-encoded malware.
Experts from Anglia Ruskin University, the University of Gloucestershire, Najran University, and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women's University contributed to the research. The researchers discovered multiple emerging threats including AI-powered genomic data manipulation and improved re-identification techniques that could jeopardise individual privacy. These concerns, they suggest, transcend beyond the person and endanger scientific integrity and possibly national security.
Despite these risks, Dr Anjum observes that cyber-biosecurity remains a neglected field, with fragmented safeguards and little collaboration between computer science, bioinformatics, biotechnology, and security. To address these challenges, the research suggests a number of feasible options, including secure sequencing procedures, secured data storage, and AI-powered anomaly detection systems. The authors recommend governments, regulatory agencies, and academic institutions to prioritise research, education, and policy development in order to close biosecurity gaps.