Because you need to beware of biological attacks
What did Professor Massimo Amorosi , expert in strategic studies and biosecurity, former advisor to the Foreign Ministry, said during the seminar "The impact of the Sars-Cov 2 pandemic on national security: new challenges for Italian intelligence" organized by the Gino Germani Institute
The Covid19 pandemic, which for about two years has upset the daily lives of all citizens and sets the agenda for governments around the world, has shown how serious the risk deriving from a biological attack can be. The professor. Massimo Amorosi , expert in strategic studies and biosecurity, former adviser to the Foreign Ministry, during the seminar " The impact of the Sars-Cov 2 pandemic on national security: new challenges for Italian intelligence " organized by the Gino Germani Institute , reflected on the risks and solutions to be adopted to address the new national security vulnerabilities.
Strategies to defend against biological risks
The prof. Amorosi identifies two keys to defend against any future biological risks. “First of all, a strategy that puts the defense and security sector and strategic industries in a position to operate – says the expert -. To this must be added a better intelligence on the actors who could in perspective promote hostile initiatives by resorting to modern biotechnologies ".
New threats, new intelligence
The concepts of biosecurity have generally been associated with the safety of laboratories, prof. Amorosi proposes a new, broadened approach to a range of bio-insecurities on a global scale, be they of natural, accidental or deliberate origin. “ A review of intelligence structures and methodologies in preventing new threats is needed . The sources of risk are rapidly evolving – says the professor -. There is a growing convergence between emerging and disruptive technologies that could trigger dynamics of hyper competition with the emergence of new security risks , including military ones. An area of significant convergence is that of genomic technologies with artificial intelligence, with automation, with robotics and cloud computing ".
The new challenge of cyber biosecurity
Another aspect to which prof. Amorosi suggests caution is the emerging discipline of cyber biosecurity. Life sciences are increasingly dependent on computer, physical and cloud systems, which means that points of vulnerability are increasing. “Obviously with possible consequences not only on public health but also on national security – continues the teacher -. Biological data sources in biotech industries will increasingly become attractive targets for a wide range of external and internal actors. The former could be industrial competitors, criminal groups, terrorists, foreign intelligence services while the perpetrators of internal threats could be employees, former employees or even contractors ”.
The protection of biological data
The Sars-Cov2 pandemic made us understand the importance of digital resources in coordinating the emergency. Data management, in the coming years, will have to face interesting challenges: “data privacy, contact tracing, privacy relating to data collection in emergency situations ”. Another aspect that will require protection is “the integrity of public health and disease surveillance data” such as case counts, diagnostic test results, information on epidemic trends. Malicious actors could remove or bloat the data.
The challenges of automation and computerization of laboratories
Bioinformatics databases contain a huge amount of extremely valuable data for researchers. “In addition to the unintentional introduction of errors in the databases, fears have been raised regarding the intentional manipulation of their content”, continues prof. Amorous. Although such actions have not yet been reported. “Another challenge is that of cyber attacks aimed at laboratory automation . The digital revolution in life sciences has produced intelligent labs that automate labs, connect tools and offer new ways to manage information on pathogens and diseases. Most industrial biological laboratories today are automated , equipped with artificial intelligence software and cloud services ”. The convergence between artificial intelligence and biotechnology may have an impact on the tools of biological laboratories, and will bring advantages and new vulnerabilities. “Another challenge is that of the protection of intellectual property. Government institutions and commercial biotech companies involved in the search for a vaccine against covid19 have become targets for attempts at theft in cyberspace – adds prof. Amorous -. If these structures were compromised or placed in conditions of no longer being able to operate, the delays in the release of therapies could have unimaginable implications ".
International collaborations: indispensable or Trojan horses?
Genomic data can also be exploited by state actors, perhaps foreigners, who come into possession of it through legitimate scientific collaboration, the funding of scientific research , investments in genomic sequencing companies or the acquisition of companies. "Although international collaborations are the keystone for progress in every branch of science, in the biological sector it becomes particularly important to acquire information, from an intelligence perspective, on possible exchanges of technologies, know-how, personnel, or financing. of research activities – continues the teacher -. And this is especially true if we are talking about gain-of-function activities, those related to the modification of the genome of a microorganism in order to give it a new or enhanced function, which could present critical issues for safety ". In other words, international collaborations and partnerships must be carefully assessed to prevent them from becoming sources of security risk.
A new intelligence facility
The prof. Amorosi proposes the establishment of a new intelligence structure capable of coordinating information gathering activities and capable of protecting activities relevant to the national interest . “Minimizing the risks associated with the natural or artificial emergence of new pathogens will require the adoption of specific measures, first of all the development of a national strategic organization of biodefense”, which sees the involvement of the armed forces. This organization should provide for the implementation of an early-warning system thanks to the integration of "cutting-edge technological tools in a permanent surveillance structure". This structure should always maintain an open dialogue with the civil protection, public health and defense structures in order to maximize the effectiveness of the interventions.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/perche-serve-fare-attenzione-agli-attacchi-biologici/ on Wed, 26 Jan 2022 07:32:33 +0000.