DNA Sequencing Equipment Vulnerability Adds New Twist to Medical Device Cyber Threats

A software vulnerability found in gene-sequencing equipment manufactured by Illumina could allow unauthenticated attackers to infiltrate medical research facilities and forensic labs. This has led to government legislation and regulations pushing for increased cybersecurity of the connected healthcare devices. In the future, manufacturers will need to provide a software bill of materials, plans for addressing vulnerabilities and securing development lifecycle. Illumina has issued a patch for the vulnerability and released notifications and instructions for all affected customers.