Abstract
Next generation sequencing (NGS) is becoming the new gold standard in public health microbiology. Like any disruptive technology, its growing popularity inevitably attracts cyber security actors, for whom the health sector is attractive because it combines mission-critical infrastructure and high-value data with cybersecurity vulnerabilities. In this Perspective, we explore cyber security aspects of microbial NGS. We discuss the motivations and objectives for such attack, its feasibility and implications, and highlight policy considerations aimed at threat mitigation. Particular focus is placed on the attack vectors, where the entire process of NGS, from sample to result, could be vulnerable, and a risk assessment based on probability and impact for representative attack vectors is presented. Cyber attacks on microbial NGS could result in loss of confidentiality (leakage of personal or institutional data), integrity (misdetection of pathogens) and availability (denial of sequencing services). NGS platforms are also at risk of being used as propagation vectors, compromising an entire system or network. Owing to the rapid evolution of microbial NGS and its applications, and in light of the dynamics of the cyber security domain, frequent risk assessments should be carried out in order to identify new threats and underpin constantly updated public health policies.
Highlights
Generation sequencing (NGS) is an emerging technology in the field of public health microbiology [1]
Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of pathogens has recently gained acceptance as a new gold standard in microbiology for different pathogens and scenarios; it allows the unprecedented characterisation of pathogens with respect to taxonomy, antimicrobial resistance, virulence attributes and genotyping [2]
The continuous development in the field of metagenomics suggests that Next generation sequencing (NGS) could soon be harnessed on a routine basis for culture-independent microbiology, which is expected to further improve surveillance and management of infectious diseases [5]
Summary
Generation sequencing (NGS) is an emerging technology in the field of public health microbiology [1]. Small footprint benchtop sequencers and, even more importantly, portable sequencers are being developed [9] These trends indicate that in the near future, increasing proportions of microbial sequence data will be generated outside of the traditional laboratory setting, such as in the field during investigation, at the bedside and even in consumer homes and other unorthodox locations (e.g. in outer space [10]). In this Perspective, we explore cyber security aspects of microbial NGS. P – Physical H – Hardware F – Firmware /operating system B – Bioinformatics tools L – Local network R – Remote network /cloud
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