DNA Sequencing | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered firmware security vulnerabilities in the Illumina iSeq 100 DNA sequencing instrument that, if successfully exploited, could permit attackers to brick or plant persistent malware on susceptible devices. "The Illumina iSeq 100 used a very outdated implementation of BIOS firmware using CSM [Compatibility Support Mode] mode and without Secure Boot or standard firmware write protections," Eclypsium said in a report shared with The Hacker News. "This would allow an attacker on the system to overwrite the system firmware to either 'brick' the device or install a firmware implant for ongoing attacker persistence." While the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface ( UEFI ) is the modern replacement for the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), the firmware security company said the iSeq 100 boots to an old version of BIOS (B480AM12 - 04/12/2018) that has known vulnerabilities. Also noticeably absent are protections to tell t...