Cybersecurity

FDA Warns DNA Sequencing Machines Could Be Hacked

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US regulators warned health-care providers about a cybersecurity risk with some Illumina Inc. DNA-sequencing machines that could compromise patient data.

Several of Illumina’s next-generation machines have a software vulnerability that could allow an unauthorized user to take control of the system remotely and alter settings or data, the Food and Drug Administration said in a letter Thursday. While there have been no reports of this happening, it’s possible that a hacker could alter a patient’s clinical diagnosis or gain access to sensitive genetic information.