Abstract
This paper explores parallels between concepts defined in cryptography and concepts of biology at different levels of organization. Cryptographic settings, including the presence of an eavesdropper are extensive in the realm of plants and animals. It also turns out that principles of information protection show strong similarities between the two disciplines: computer science and molecular biology. Biological information, as held by the DNA molecule, and digital information, as used in digital communication systems, are subject to analogous procedures of protection and repair when damaged.