Skip to main content

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biosafety and Biosecurity
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1456354

Cyber-Biological Convergence: A Systematic Review and Future Outlook

Provisionally accepted
Mariam Elgabry Mariam Elgabry 1,2*Shane D. Johnson Shane D. Johnson 2
  • 1 Bronic LTD, London, United Kingdom
  • 2 University College London, London, England, United Kingdom

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The introduction of the capability to “program” a biological system is referred to as Engineered biology and can be compared to the introduction of the internet and the capability of programming a computer. Engineered biology is supported by a digital infrastructure that includes data, data storage, computer-dependent laboratory equipment, internet-connected communication networks, and supply chains. This connectivity is important. It can improve workflows and enhance productivity. At the same time and unlike computer programs, biological systems introduce unique threats as they can self- assemble, self-repair, and self-replicate. The aim of this paper is to systematically review the cyber implications of engineered biology. This includes cyber-bio opportunities and threats as engineered biology continues to integrate into cyberspace. We used a systematic search methodology to review the academic literature, and supplemented this with a review of opensource materials and “grey” literature that is not disseminated by academic publishers. A comprehensive search of articles published in or after 2017 until the 21st of October 2022 found 52 studies that focus on implications of engineered biology to cyberspace. The search was conducted using search engines that index over 60 databases – databases that specifically cover the information security, and biology literatures, as well as the wider set of academic disciplines. Across these 52 articles, we identified a total of 7 cyber opportunities including automated bio-foundries and 4 cyber threats such as Artificial Intelligence misuse and biological dataset targeting. We highlight the 4 main types of cyberbiosecurity solutions identified in the literature and we suggest a total of 9 policy recommendations that can be utilized by various entities, including governments, to ensure that cyberbiosecurity remains frontline in a growing bioeconomy.

    Keywords: cyberbiosecurity, Systematic review, engineered biology, policy, Biosecurity 4

    Received: 28 Jun 2024; Accepted: 05 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Elgabry and Johnson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Mariam Elgabry, Bronic LTD, London, United Kingdom

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.