This article was taken from the June 2013 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.
There's a new domain of battle coming in the near future, one that is as real, yet as intangible, as cyberspace. It is likely to become the most complex yet: it's easy to hack and hard to defend because there's no way to live without it. It is the domain of biology. Here are some of the types of "bio-crime" that we may see in coming years, alongside their current equivalents.
Spam
The sending of unwanted commercial electronic messages en masse and often on a global scale.
Biocrime equivalent: The bulk transmission of unwanted genetic information or organisms, such as synthetic cold viruses or insects that might drive up sales of remedies or repellents; misting DNA to tag people or objects for tracking or identification.
Phishing
An attempt to obtain sensitive data, such as passwords, by impersonating a trustworthy entity.
Biocrime equivalent: As biometrics becomes prevalent in verifying identity, so DNA and biometric scanners or clinics that seem legitimate will appear to trick people into allowing the collection of their genetic material that can be put to illicit or criminal use.
Identity theft
The acquisition of private information, such as a person's name or card details, for fraudulent use.
Biocrime equivalent: Collecting and using genetic or biometric information without permission. Biometrics, which can be collected with cameras and other sensors, include gait analysis, fingerprints, retinal scans and high-resolution face and body scans.
Spoofing
The falsification of data that allows an information operation to masquerade as something else.
Biocrime equivalent: Passing off fake pharmaceuticals and therapies; placebos; mislabelling fish, meat or other ingredients; cloning or synthesising DNA markers to plant at crime scenes; using lab-manufactured sperm to imply sexual misconduct.
Piracy
Intellectual-property theft -- commonly the copying of creative works without paying the owner a fee.
Biocrime equivalent: Using the genetic code of an individual or organism, whether natural or engineered, without permission or fee; sequencing organisms from rainforests or territorial waters; or stealing cell lines that produce medicines or biotech products.
Spear phishing
The delivery of (usually) malware hidden in a message personalised with illicitly gathered data.
Biocrime equivalent: Personalised biological attacks, for instance, viruses, cells or nanoparticles that have been engineered to activate only with a specific target, such as an individual or organism. This could be used to attack a particular person.
D.o.S attack
An attempt to render a computer or network unavailable by flooding it with a torrent of requests.
Biocrime equivalent: Disruption using biological agents such as anthrax. Even releasing less harmful agents in a co-ordinated way would be enough to disrupt a city. As these biological agents get easier to produce, attacks could increase.
Don't miss our cover story: The bio-crime prophecy: DNA hacking the biggest opportunity since cyber attacks
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
