CVE-2023-1966: Instruments with Illumina Universal Copy Service v1.x and v2.x contain an unnecessary privileges vulnerability

This month

HIGH 7.4MITIGATEMITIGATEMITIGATE

CVE-2023-1966 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.4) affecting iscan firmware, iseq 100 firmware, miniseq firmware. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Instruments with Illumina Universal Copy Service v1.x and v2.x contain an unnecessary privileges vulnerability. An unauthenticated malicious actor could upload and execute code remotely at the operating system level, which could allow an attacker to change settings, configurations, software, or access sensitive data on the affected product.

Why this priority

High severity

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	7.4 (High)
Attack vector	Physical
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.9% (top 40%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-250, CWE-269
Published	2023-04-28
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): ICS-CERT · Vendor: illumina

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2023-04-28 19:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 05:29 UTCUpdated Record last modified

illumina iscan firmware MITIGATE

Affected: 4.0.0 · 4.0.5

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 4.0.0

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

illumina iseq 100 firmware MITIGATE

Affected: all versions

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

illumina miniseq firmware MITIGATE

Affected: >= 2.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 2.0

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

illumina miseq firmware MITIGATE

Affected: >= 4.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 4.0

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

illumina miseqdx firmware MITIGATE

Affected: >= 4.0.1 · 4.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 4.0

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

illumina nextseq 500 firmware MITIGATE

Affected: 4.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 4.0

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2023-1966?

iscan firmware: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation; iseq 100 firmware: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation; miniseq firmware: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2023-1966 being exploited?

CVE-2023-1966 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2023-1966 affect?

CVE-2023-1966 affects iscan firmware, iseq 100 firmware, miniseq firmware. Severity is high (CVSS 7.4). Instruments with Illumina Universal Copy Service v1.x and v2.x contain an unnecessary privileges vulnerability. An unauthenticated malicious actor could upload and execute code remotely at the operating system level, which could allow an at

How urgent is CVE-2023-1966?

Priority 41/100. High severity

Related CVEs

CVE-2023-1968 CRITICAL 10.0 MITIGATE MITIGATE Instruments with Illumina Universal Copy Service v2.x are vulnerable due to binding to an unrestricted IP add

References

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