According to newly-published research, malware that can hack into a bio-engineer’s computer and replace a sub-string in the DNA structure could result in the unintentional creation of dangerous toxins.
A group of cyber-researchers with Israel’s Ben-Gurion University (BGU) in the Negev has discovered an “end-to-end” cyber-biological attack that can trick scientists into unintentionally creating toxins or viruses in their laboratories, according to a paper published in Nature Biotechnology.
The research suggests that, despite the belief that a criminal needs to be in physical contact with a dangerous substance to produce and deliver it, the malware could sneak into a bio-engineer’s computer and substitute a short sub-string in the DNA structure there so that a sequence could be unintentionally created, launching the production of a toxin.
According to researchers, the discovery was made during an experiment with a suggested a “weakness” in guidance from the US Department of Health and Human Services for DNA providers. A purported breach could allow screening protocols to be circumvented using a generic obfuscation procedure, possibly making it harder for screening software to detect the DNA that could produce the toxin.
BGU scientists said that synthetic gene engineering workflow automation, along with the potential breaches in cybersecurity, could pave the way for malware to interfere with a laboratory computer to alter DNA strands.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
