Once upon a time, hacking meant someone breaking into your email, stealing your password, or emptying your bank account. But in today’s digital age, a much more personal form of data is becoming the next hot target: your DNA.
Yes, you read that right. Your genetic blueprint—the code that determines your eye color, your risk for diseases, and even your ancestry—is now at risk of being hacked.
What Is Next-Generation DNA Sequencing, Anyway?
To understand what’s at stake, let’s start with the tech that’s making this possible. It’s called Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). Think of it as a high-speed, high-volume DNA-reading machine. Instead of laboriously decoding one gene at a time, NGS can scan an entire genome (your complete DNA code) in a matter of hours or days.
This tech has revolutionized biology and medicine. It’s helping scientists develop personalized treatments for cancer, detect genetic diseases early, track virus mutations like COVID-19, and even solve cold-case crimes. It’s cheaper, faster, and far more powerful than anything we had just a couple of decades ago.
But as with most powerful tools, there’s a dark side.
The Digital Cracks in the Genetic Armor
A team of researchers from the University of Portsmouth took a deep dive into the entire process of next-gen sequencing—from the moment a DNA sample is collected, all the way to the moment the data is stored or analyzed. What they found was unsettling.
There are vulnerabilities at nearly every stage. And those vulnerabilities can be exploited by cybercriminals.
Let’s break it down:
- Sample Collection and Preparation – If someone tampers with a biological sample before it even gets sequenced, the data that comes out can be distorted, manipulated, or misattributed.
- Sequencing Machines – These machines run on software and connect to networks, making them open to malware or hacking. Just like your phone or laptop, they can be infected.
- Data Analysis and Storage – Once the DNA has been “read,” the resulting data is stored and processed. But much of this happens on cloud servers or local networks that may not be well protected.
- Data Sharing – Researchers, hospitals, and companies often share genetic data for collaboration. Every time that data moves, it could be intercepted or corrupted.
In short, every step in the genetic sequencing pipeline presents a potential entry point for someone with bad intentions and good hacking skills.
Read more: “Forever Chemicals” Are Fundamentally Altering Human DNA, New Studies Warn
Why Would Anyone Hack DNA?
It might sound far-fetched, but there’s real incentive for cybercriminals and even nation-states to go after genetic data.
Here’s why it matters:
- It’s extremely personal – Your DNA is like your fingerprint, but far more revealing. It can predict future health conditions, reveal your biological relatives, and even identify you from a supposedly anonymous database.
- It can’t be changed – Unlike a password, you can’t reset your DNA. Once it’s out there, it’s out there forever.
- It could be used maliciously – Imagine a world where someone could:
- Blackmail you over genetic predispositions to mental illness or disease.
- Target populations with custom-designed biological weapons.
- Track individuals using forensic DNA left at crime scenes or public places.
- Manipulate medical records, delaying treatments or creating chaos in healthcare systems.
As strange as it may sound, these aren’t just paranoid fantasies. Synthetic biology and biotechnology are advancing rapidly. And unfortunately, so are the tools used to exploit them.
When DNA Carries Malware
One of the most chilling revelations in recent years is that DNA itself can be weaponized in digital form. In 2017, a team of researchers at the University of Washington demonstrated that it’s possible to encode malicious software into a strand of synthetic DNA. When that DNA was sequenced, it actually executed code that gave hackers access to the sequencing computer.
In other words, biological material was used to hack a digital system. That’s the cyber-biosecurity frontier we’re facing.
AI: The Double-Edged Sword
Artificial intelligence (AI) is also entering the game—and not just as a defense tool. AI can be used to:
- Identify patterns in DNA, including predicting identities from supposedly anonymous samples.
- Generate synthetic genomes that mimic real people’s DNA.
- Manipulate genetic data so subtly that traditional security systems might not detect it.
The same AI that helps find cancer mutations can also be trained to carry out more nefarious tasks—especially if placed in the wrong hands.
Read more: Are We Playing God? Scientists Raise Alarm as Lab-Made Human DNA Project Advances
What Are We Doing About It?
Unfortunately, not nearly enough.
The Portsmouth study found that most security measures currently in place are basic—mainly focused on encrypting files after sequencing is done. But that leaves earlier steps wide open, and it doesn’t prepare for sophisticated attacks like those involving AI or malware-laced DNA.
The researchers call for a much more comprehensive and proactive approach, including:
- Stronger encryption at every step, not just at the end.
- Real-time threat detection powered by machine learning.
- Secure data-sharing protocols that prevent leaks between labs and institutions.
- Industry-wide standards for cyber-biosecurity—because right now, there’s no consistent global framework.
They also emphasize the need for collaboration. This isn’t something one hospital or research lab can fix on its own. Governments, biotech firms, universities, and software developers all need to be on the same page—and fast.
The Future: Where Biology and Cybersecurity Collide
The reality is, we’re stepping into an era where biology and technology are deeply intertwined. Our bodies are becoming data. And like any data, they can be tracked, stored, copied, or stolen.
Think about it: smartwatches already monitor your heart rate and sleep patterns. Genetic testing kits are sitting in millions of homes. Personalized medicine is gaining ground. All this bio-data is part of a growing digital ecosystem.
That means cyber-biosecurity isn’t some obscure niche anymore—it’s the next frontier in data protection.
Read more: One Gram of DNA Can Store Around 215 Petabytes. More Data Than All of YouTube!
So… Should You Be Worried?
Not panicked, but definitely alert.
If you’ve ever sent a DNA sample to an ancestry testing company, or had genetic testing done at a hospital, it’s worth asking: How is that data protected? Who has access to it? Could it be misused?
We lock our phones, shred our bank statements, and worry about cookies on websites. But many of us hand over our DNA without a second thought.
As it turns out, your most personal information isn’t in your wallet—it’s in your cells. And in the wrong hands, it could become the basis for a whole new kind of cyber threat.
