Today, biohacking refers to a series of tools, techniques, and technologies that allow us to push the limits of our human bodies in areas like physical strength, recall, and agility. In the future, however, it will be a great deal more dramatic – think genomic editing and devices that connect your brain to the internet. Sounds awesome, right? Well, in this brave new world, you\u2019ll need to safeguard yourself against another type of biohacker – someone who can hack into your body, corrupt your technology implants, and maybe even steal your very thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, malicious biohacking has yet to really become a thing. This almost certainly won\u2019t last, however – it is easy to imagine the geopolitical and societal chaos that could ensue should the deepest thoughts of a high-ranking politician be publicly exposed. That\u2019s why we need to take the matter seriously today and develop the counterweight technologies and regulations that will help ensure that tomorrow\u2019s biohackers work to realise our highest ambitions – and not succumb to our worst impulses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cSince biohacking could be considered hacking in itself, what we analyse […] is whether someone with malicious intent could use this willingness to self-hack to \u2018cyber attack\u2019 our bodies.\u201d<\/p>\nPablo Martinez, ethical hacker, Entelgy Innotec Security<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Is your body safe from cyber threats?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When we think about the future of humanity, we tend to think on the macro scale. We engage with new technologies in terms of how we interact with them collectively, and what they mean for us as a whole. Rarely do we breach the surface and think about how they might change us <\/em>at the cellular level. This is, of course, understandable: we tend to externalise change, perceiving ourselves as a constant throughline. But the truth is that we may need to reassess this notion. As we transform the world around us, why would we rule ourselves out?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That brings us to the rise of biohacking – a series of techniques, tools, and technologies that range from mechanical enhancements to the human body to the modification of our very DNA. For the first time in the history of life on Earth, evolution is going to be something we can do voluntarily, and experience within our own lifespan. But how can we safeguard ourselves in this brave new cybernetically-enhanced world? Unsettling news stories about major organisations being hacked are increasingly the norm these days. As much as we hate the idea of our medical information or social security numbers being leaked, it pales in comparison to what a malicious biohacker could accomplish at our expense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Welcome to the latest and most insidious frontier in cyber warfare. In this article, we will delve into the dark side of biohacking and share some shocking examples of how this exciting technology might be exploited<\/a> at our expense. We\u2019ll also consider what – if anything – we can do to protect ourselves against these surreptitious threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Biohackers: the good, the bad, and the ugly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Biohacking could be used to transform and extend our human lives – or it could be used to wreak unprecedented havoc.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s start things off with an important clarification. The term \u2018biohacking\u2019 is not new and does not refer to any type of act conducted by malicious actors. Rather, it\u2019s been with us for decades. It emerged in the mid-2000s amid the rise of genetic analysis tools such as sequencing, which opened the door for us to better understand our bodies – and maybe someday modify them, too. Biohacking can also refer to the mundane practice of making data-backed lifestyle changes to improve our physical and mental health. Then there\u2019s technology-based biohacking, which involves the use of wearable and diagnostic devices like Fitbits and blood glucose monitors. In other words – you\u2019re probably a biohacker already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the future, biohacking is going to be a lot more dramatic. Genetic engineering is the most complex form of biohacking, and enormous strides are already being made in the field. Consider, for example, that through telomerase gene therapy (don\u2019t ask, it\u2019s a whole essay), researchers have been able to extend<\/a> the lifespan of mice by 41%. We\u2019ve also been able to enhance<\/a> muscle strength in mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy through CRISPR DNA injections. It is easy to imagine the transformative impact genetic engineering could have on our everyday lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alongside this revolution in genetic engineering will come in-body devices that augment our natural functions and monitor our well-being in unprecedented ways. Take, for example, Elon Musk\u2019s Neuralink: for all the controversy surrounding it, it has already been demonstrated to restore<\/a> some freedom to those with severe paralysis. Perhaps soon, there will be devices that can track and analyse our very thoughts for signs of stress, or toxic thought patterns. The possibilities are both shocking and dazzling – what if, for example, a cadre of nanobots could detect a mental health episode and mitigate it by tweaking our brain chemistry?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why cyber body security matters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There is, admittedly, something rather discomfiting about allowing our bodies to be modified in such ways. We are vulnerable creatures prone to all kinds of sickness and ailment – that\u2019s without messing with our genes or installing software onto our brains. We have decades of Hollywood science fiction already on hand to populate our imaginations with gnawing representations of body modification gone wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gaining unlawful access to a medical device implanted in one\u2019s body could allow a malicious actor to commit unspeakable crimes. At the simplest level, they could cause such a device to stop working, potentially endangering human life. If the device in question is monitoring our wellbeing, hackers could cause it to send out false information, potentially allowing a medical emergency to go unaddressed or even creating a fake one. In the more distant future, gaining access to somebody\u2019s genetic information could have dizzying consequences: what if somebody were able to spoof your entire identity with it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This extraordinary vulnerability is not lost on those in positions to help via regulation. In the US, the FDA issued<\/a> guidance for the cyber security of medical devices in September 2023, in an apparent response to an FBI report that revealed that 52% of internet-connected medical devices had critical security vulnerabilities. The EU\u2019s Agency for Cyber Security has also issued a report detailing<\/a> the importance of securing medical infrastructure at large. It does not mince words: any cyber attack against a hospital\u2019s digital infrastructure will inherently lead to attacks on all medical devices connected to its network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Biohacking involves a series of techniques, tools, and technologies used to improve our physical and mental health, ranging from mechanical enhancements to the human body to the modification of our very DNA.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- As the most complex form of biohacking, genetic engineering could have a transformative impact on our lives, with the potential to significantly extend the human lifespan.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Having already demonstrated the ability to restore some freedom to those with severe paralysis, in-body devices like Neuralink could one day track and analyse our very thoughts for signs of stress or toxic thought patterns.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- If a malicious actor gained unlawful access to a medical device implanted in one\u2019s body, they could commit unspeakable crimes and potentially even endanger the person\u2019s life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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