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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• CVSS v4 8.3
• ATTENTION: Exploitable remotely/low attack complexity
• Vendor: Oxford Nanopore Technologies
• Equipment: MinKNOW
• Vulnerabilities: Missing Authentication for Critical Function, Insufficiently Protected Credentials, Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions

2. RISK EVALUATION

Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to disrupt sequencing operations and processes, exfiltrate and manipulate data, and bypass authentication controls.

3. TECHNICAL DETAILS

3.1 AFFECTED PRODUCTS

The following versions of MinKNOW, a DNA and RNA sequencing device, are affected:

• MinKNOW: Versions prior to 24.06 (CVE-2024-35585)
• MinKNOW: Versions prior to 24.11 (CVE-2025-54808, CVE-2025-10937)

3.2 VULNERABILITY OVERVIEW

3.2.1 MISSING AUTHENTICATION FOR CRITICAL FUNCTION CWE-306

A vulnerability exists in which remote access is enabled by default, and authentication relies on the IP address of the host computer. Unauthorized users on the same network can discover the IP address (e.g., via port scanning) and gain access to the sequencer by registering a legitimate or temporary Oxford Nanopore account. Once connected through the MinKNOW application, attackers can observe sequencing activity, pause or stop data collection, and redirect output data to an alternate location.

CVE-2024-35585 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.6 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L).

A CVSS v4 score has also been calculated for CVE-2024-35585. A base score of 8.3 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/R:U).

3.2.2 INSUFFICIENTLY PROTECTED CREDENTIALS CWE-522

Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ MinKNOW software at or prior to version 24.11 stores authentication tokens in a file located in the system’s temporary directory (/tmp) on the host machine. This directory is typically world-readable, allowing any local user or application to access the token. If the token is leaked (e.g., via malware infection or other local exploit), and remote access is enabled, it can be used to establish unauthorized remote connections to the sequencer. Remote access must be enabled for remote exploitation to succeed. This may occur either because the user has enabled remote access for legitimate operational reasons or because malware with elevated privileges (e.g., sudo access) enables it without user consent. This vulnerability can be chained with remote access capabilities to generate a developer token from a remote device. Developer tokens can be created with arbitrary expiration dates, enabling persistent access to the sequencer and bypassing standard authentication mechanisms.

CVE-2025-54808 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

A CVSS v4 score has also been calculated for CVE-2025-54808. A base score of 7.3 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/R:U).

3.2.3 IMPROPER CHECK FOR UNUSUAL OR EXCEPTIONAL CONDITIONS CWE-754

Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ MinKNOW software at or prior to version 24.11 creates a temporary file to store the local authentication token during startup, before copying it to its final location. This temporary file is created in a directory accessible to all users on the system. An unauthorized local user or process can exploit this behavior by placing a file lock on the temporary token file using the flock system call. This prevents MinKNOW from completing the token generation process. As a result, no valid local token is created, and the software is unable to execute commands on the sequencer. This leads to a denial-of-service (DoS) condition, blocking sequencing operations.

CVE-2025-10937 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

A CVSS v4 score has also been calculated for CVE-2025-10937. A base score of 6.8 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/R:U).

3.3 BACKGROUND

• CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SECTORS: Healthcare and Public Health
• COUNTRIES/AREAS DEPLOYED: Worldwide
• COMPANY HEADQUARTERS LOCATION: United Kingdom

3.4 RESEARCHER

Sara Rampazzi, Christina Boucher, Carson Stillman, Jonathan E. Bravo of the University of Florida reported these vulnerabilities to Oxford Nanopore Technologies.

4. MITIGATIONS

Oxford Nanopore Technologies recommends users upgrade to MinKNOW Versions later than 24.11 to eliminate these vulnerabilities.

If users are unable to upgrade to v24.11 to reduce risk from the remaining Authentication Token and Token Lock vulnerabilities, Oxford Nanopore advises the following additional measures for users on version 24.06:

• Remote Connect: Keep Remote Connect disabled in MinKNOW unless strictly required, and enable it only within trusted network environments.
• Endpoint Protection: Install and maintain antivirus and malware scanning tools to mitigate denial-of-service (DoS) conditions arising from local exploitation or malware.

Users running older versions of MinKNOW who cannot upgrade immediately should contact Oxford Nanopore Support for guidance on securing their configurations. Downloading the release requires users to be logged into the Nanopore Community.

CISA recommends users take defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation of these vulnerabilities, such as:

• Minimize network exposure for all control system devices and/or systems, ensuring they are not accessible from the internet.
• Locate control system networks and remote devices behind firewalls and isolating them from business networks.
• When remote access is required, use more secure methods, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), recognizing VPNs may have vulnerabilities and should be updated to the most current version available. Also recognize VPN is only as secure as the connected devices.

CISA reminds organizations to perform proper impact analysis and risk assessment prior to deploying defensive measures.

CISA also provides a section for control systems security recommended practices on the ICS webpage on cisa.gov/ics. Several CISA products detailing cyber defense best practices are available for reading and download, including Improving Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity with Defense-in-Depth Strategies.

CISA encourages organizations to implement recommended cybersecurity strategies for proactive defense of ICS assets.

Additional mitigation guidance and recommended practices are publicly available on the ICS webpage at cisa.gov/ics in the technical information paper, ICS-TIP-12-146-01B–Targeted Cyber Intrusion Detection and Mitigation Strategies.

Organizations observing suspected malicious activity should follow established internal procedures and report findings to CISA for tracking and correlation against other incidents.

CISA also recommends users take the following measures to protect themselves from social engineering attacks:

• Do not click web links or open attachments in unsolicited email messages.
• Refer to Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams for more information on avoiding email scams.
• Refer to Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information on social engineering attacks.

No known public exploitation specifically targeting these vulnerabilities has been reported to CISA at this time.

5. UPDATE HISTORY

• October 21, 2025: Initial Publication