Thermo Fisher Patches Flaw That Could Make DNA File Tampering Nearly Undetectable
Thermo Fisher Scientific has patched a flaw in select Applied Biosystems human identification software that could allow data files to be altered before analysis software loads them. The vendor's July 31 security bulletin says nearly undetectable changes to .fsa and .hid outputs could occur if laboratory controls are circumvented. Thermo Fisher tracks the issue as CVE-2026-17583 and rates it High with a CVSS v4.0 score of 8.2. Five supported product lines have received updates that add digital signatures, while three end-of-life data collection products will receive no vendor update. Thermo Fisher credits Nathan Adams, Kevin Dyer and Laura Gaydosh Combs, together with the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, with identifying the issue and coordinating disclosure. Thermo Fisher urged customers to install the applicable updates. For customers unable to implement the updates or use another third-party analysis platform, the company recommends controls coverin...
î ‚Aug 03, 2026