Entry 5 – Bioinformatics and Cancer

Topic:

Cancer research is one of the areas of healthcare where bioinformatics is most widely used. BioMed Central addresses why bioinformatics is incredibly helpful in cancer research saying:

With increasing evidence that the interaction and network between genes and proteins play an important role in investigation of cancer molecular mechanisms, it is necessary and important to introduce a new concept of Systems Clinical Medicine into cancer research, to integrate systems biology, clinical science, omics-based technology, bioinformatics and computational science to improve diagnosis, therapies and prognosis of diseases.[i]

One of the ways in which medical professionals hope that bioinformatics will be able help advance cancer research is by using biomarkers in conjunction with patients symptoms and prognosis to find common links between certain genes and the severity and type of cancer the patient develops. Going forward, people hope to be able to use various algorithms to predict which individuals are more likely to develop cancer in their lifetime and attempt to resolve the issue before cancer is able to develop.

Important Terminology:

·      Bioinformatics - the collection, classification, storage, and analysis of biochemical and biological information using computers especially as applied in molecular genetics and genomics[ii]

·      Biomarker - a distinctive biological or biologically derived indicator (as a metabolite) of a process, event, or condition (as aging, disease, or oil formation)[iii]

Relation to Computer Science:

Computer science is one of the most important aspects in bioinformatics as the study of bioinformatics has become more popular. One particular reason that computer science is so important in bioinformatics is because establishing the infrastructure to handle and analyze all of the data and providing proper access and security to the data are critical.  Ensuring that a patient’s privacy is not compromised as the data is collected and analyzed has to be taken into consideration as well. One of the ways that this is being done is by assigning random numbers to patients and keeping the catalog of what numbers are associated with which patient on a separate, secured network. Computer scientists and data analysts are also a necessary part of the bioinformatics team because the majority of the healthcare providers involved are not educated on how to process and analyze large amounts of data.

Works Cited:

---

[i] "Cancer Bioinformatics: A New Approach to Systems Clinical Medicine." BMC Bioinformatics. BioMed Central, 01 May 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

[ii] "Bioinformatics." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

[iii] "Biomarkers." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

Image: http://bioinformaticsinstitute.ru/sites/default/files/lapidus_1_0.pdf

Entry 4 - Cyber Threats to Aviation

“We can look at history and see what those threats are capable of doing. They penetrate enterprises on a daily basis. You can read the news on this and every single day there’s another attack. Attacks against the aviation industry are also occurring on a daily basis and we can expect that as the connected aircraft grows in popularity there will be more and more and more attacks there too,” – Bob Gourley, Moderator of the Global Connected Aircraft Summit[i]

Topic:

As avionics and ATC continue to become progressively more complex, managing the cyber security of both airports and individual airplanes has become much more difficult to control. These cyber threats are frequently discussed during the GCAS. While many new technologies are being discussed throughout the summit, it is important to also talk about the potential new threats that may be present because of these new technologies. One of the problems with the current cybersecurity that has recently been highlighted is the fact that different companies handle the cybersecurity in different segments of the aviation and they don’t necessarily interact well together. One example of an airplane being hacked was when “ethical hacker” Chris Roberts used his IFC access to hack into the part of the plane that controls the airplane’s ability to climb.[ii] Fortunately, he only hacked the system to highlight the problems and didn’t harm any of the passengers in any way.

Important Terminology:

·       Air Traffic Control (ATC) – “a government service that facilitates the safe and orderly movement of aircraft within and between airports by receiving and processing data from radar and devices that monitor local weather conditions and by maintaining radio contact with pilots”[iii]

·       Global Connected Aircraft Summit (GCAS) – “provides airlines, operators, integrators, and technology vendors complete connected solutions – from ground to air and from nose to tail. The fourth annual event connects business, technology, and industry perspectives and goes beyond just in-flight entertainment, to include operations, communications and technologies that impacts the aircraft.”[iv]

·       In-Fight Connectivity (IFC) – services offered by airlines that allow passengers to use features such as wireless internet, movie streaming, etc.

Relation to Computer Science: 

The topic of aviation cyber security relates to computer science because of its direct relation to programming. As I mentioned in my entry last week regarding cyber threats to casinos, the programs being written by hackers and other individuals are the major reason that these threats exist. Another way in which this relates to computer science is that the complexity involved in protecting against these threats highlights the speed at which the technology in these industries evolves. Several cyber defense experts highlight this fact by saying that as soon as a new defense technology is released, it is often already outdated because of how quickly changes occur in both hardware and software.  

Works Cited:

---

[i] "Experts Speak to Cyber Security in Aviation." Experts Speak to Cyber Security in Aviation - GCA Summit 2017. Access Intelligence, LLC, n.d. Web. 8 Feb. 2017.

[ii] "Experts Speak to Cyber Security in Aviation." Experts Speak to Cyber Security in Aviation - GCA Summit 2017. Access Intelligence, LLC, n.d. Web. 8 Feb. 2017.

[iii] "Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.

[iv] "JOIN US! Arlington, VA June 7-9." GCA Summit 2017 - GCA Summit 2017. Access Intelligence, LLC, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.

Image: http://aviationweek.com/site-files/aviationweek.com/files/uploads/2016/07/01/NextGen%20Aircraft%20Cyber%20Security%20Graphic%20%28Mod%29.pdf

Entry 3 – Cyber Threats to Casinos

Topic:

As the gaming industry continues to become more reliant on technology, they have also become significantly more exposed to a variety of cyber security risks. Two of the biggest threats that casinos and online gaming sites have been forced to deal with lately are having their customers’ payment information hacked and the tampering with individual machines. One notable example of a hacker targeting a particular machine is when Dennis Nikrasch collected over $6,000,000 using his programming skills to cause a slot machine to malfunction.[i] Tommy Glenn Carmichael, “considered by many to be the best slots cheat ever” spent much of the 1990s coming up with different ways to attack slot machines.[ii]  Fortunately for the casinos, as Carmichael continued to come up with different ways to cheat the slots machines, IGT, the company who manufactured the machines, was continuously working to improve their machines to prevent against these sorts of hacks.

Important Terminology:

·      AGA – “The American Gaming Association (AGA) is the premier national trade group representing the $240 billion U.S. casino industry, which supports 1.7 million jobs in 40 states. AGA members include commercial and tribal casino operators, suppliers and other entities affiliated with the gaming industry. It is the mission of the AGA to be the single most effective champion of the industry, relentlessly protecting against harmful and often misinformed public policies, and paving a path for growth, innovation and reinvestment.”[iii]

·      IGT – “IGT is uniquely positioned to provide the government-sponsored and commercial gaming industry with proven solutions for gaming, lottery, interactive, and social, through every channel across the spectrum, including retail, web, and mobile.”[iv]

Relation to Computer Science: 

Cyber attacks at casinos relate to computer science because computer programs designed to exploit flaws in the machines carry out the majority of these attacks or the casino’s wireless Internet. It is proving to be a constant battle between hackers and security firms to protect the casinos and their customers. One positive development that has resulted from several large casinos being hacked over the several years is that the AGA has been pushing Congress to pass laws requiring casinos to have certain cyber security measures in place.[v] In 2015, Congress passed two laws that require certain information to be reported once a company discovers they’ve been hacked.

Works Cited:

---

[i] Cheating In Casinos." Odds Shark. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.

[ii] Cheating In Casinos." Odds Shark. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.

[iii] "AGA." Casinos Urge Congress to Act on Cybersecurity | AGA. American Gaming Association, 12 Aug. 2015. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

[iv] "IGT." Who We Are. IGT, n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

[v] "AGA." Casinos Urge Congress to Act on Cybersecurity | AGA. American Gaming Association, 12 Aug. 2015. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

Image: Hacker Slot: Bug Universal Percent Selector hack slot machines ...