DNA
23andMe to pay $18 million in new genetics data breach settlement
Genetic testing company 23andMe (now Chrome Holding Co.) has agreed to pay $18 million to settle claims from a coalition of 43 attorneys general that it failed to protect customers’ genetic data. 23andMe disclosed a massive data breach in October 2023, following credential-stuffing attacks that went unnoticed for five months, from April 2023 to September 2023. During […]
Genetic data site openSNP to close and delete data over privacy concerns
The openSNP project, a platform for sharing genetic and phenotypic data, will shut down on April 30, 2025, and delete all user submissions over privacy concerns and the risk of misuse by authoritarian governments. The decision was announced earlier this week by co-founder Bastian Greshake Tzovaras, who expressed concerns about how personal genomics data is […]
23andMe files for bankruptcy, customers advised to delete DNA data
California-based genetic testing provider 23andMe has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and plans to sell its assets following years of financial struggles. 23andMe has been providing direct-to-consumer DNA testing services since November 2007 to customers who send a saliva sample and receive a report on their ancestry and genetic predispositions. Since then, 23andMe has sold over […]
BIOS flaws expose iSeq DNA sequencers to bootkit attacks
BIOS/UEFI vulnerabilities in the iSeq 100 DNA sequencer from U.S. biotechnology company Illumina could let attackers disable devices used for detecting illnesses and developing vaccines. The Illumina iSeq 100 is advertised as a DNA sequencing system that medical and research labs can use to deliver “rapid and cost-effective genetic analysis.” Firmware security company Eclypsium analyzed […]