Abstract
DNA data storage is an emerging data storage method with an extremely long storage duration and high density, yet it currently lacks adequate consideration for data security. Existing encryption methods for DNA storage are based on bit-level encryption, which makes them incompatible with DNA encoding methods based on data characteristics. In this study, we propose a method for directly encrypting DNA sequences via automata cryptography for secure DNA storage (DNA-AC) to solve the above challenges. In DNA-AC, sequence-level encryption is achieved through diffusion and rotation of bases, making the base distribution more uniform and random, improving the security of DNA storage data. Security analysis demonstrates that DNA-AC exhibits a high key space, an information entropy close to 2, a Number of Bases Change Rate (NBCR) of 75% and Bases Average Changing Intensity (BACI) of 42%, showing strong resistance to malicious attacks. Compared to representative works, DNA-AC supports parallel processing to accommodate high-throughput parallel DNA synthesis and sequencing. In general, DNA-AC offers a secure, high-performance, and scalable solution for DNA storage encryption, with the potential to be an ideal data encryption approach for DNA storage devices.