February 12, 2025

Jan 07, 2025Ravie LakshmananFirmware Safety / Malware

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered firmware safety vulnerabilities within the Illumina iSeq 100 DNA sequencing instrument that, if efficiently exploited, may allow attackers to brick or plant persistent malware on vulnerable units.

“The Illumina iSeq 100 used a really outdated implementation of BIOS firmware utilizing CSM [Compatibility Support Mode] mode and with out Safe Boot or commonplace firmware write protections,” Eclypsium said in a report shared with The Hacker Information.

“This is able to permit an attacker on the system to overwrite the system firmware to both ‘brick’ the machine or set up a firmware implant for ongoing attacker persistence.”

Cybersecurity

Whereas the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) is the fashionable substitute for the Fundamental Enter/Output System (BIOS), the firmware safety firm stated the iSeq 100 boots to an outdated model of BIOS (B480AM12 – 04/12/2018) that has recognized vulnerabilities.

Additionally noticeably absent are protections to inform the {hardware} the place it may possibly learn and write firmware, thereby permitting an attacker to change machine firmware. Additionally not enabled is Safe Boot, thereby permitting malicious modifications to the firmware to go undetected.

DNA Sequencers

Eclypsium identified that it isn’t advisable for newer high-value belongings to help CSM, because it’s mainly meant for outdated units that may’t be upgraded and wish to take care of compatibility. Following accountable disclosure, Illumina has launched a repair.

In a hypothetical assault state of affairs, an adversary may goal unpatched Illumina units, escalate their privileges, and write arbitrary code to the firmware.

This isn’t the primary time extreme vulnerabilities have been disclosed in DNA gene sequencers from Illumina. In April 2023, a important safety flaw (CVE-2023-1968, CVSS rating: 10.0) may have made it doable to listen in on community visitors and remotely transmit arbitrary instructions.

Cybersecurity

“The flexibility to overwrite firmware on the iSeq 100 would allow attackers to simply disable the machine, inflicting important disruption within the context of a ransomware assault. This is able to not solely take a high-value machine out of service, it might additionally probably take appreciable effort to get better the machine through manually reflashing the firmware,” Eclypsium stated.

“This might considerably increase the stakes within the context of a ransomware or cyberattack. Sequencers are important to detecting genetic sicknesses, cancers, figuring out drug-resistant micro organism, and for the manufacturing of vaccines. This is able to make these units a ripe goal for state-based actors with geopolitical motives along with the extra conventional monetary motives of ransomware actors.”

Discovered this text attention-grabbing? Observe us on Twitter and LinkedIn to learn extra unique content material we publish.