The vulnerability CVE-2025-54808 affects Oxford Nanopore Technologies' MinKNOW software versions up to 24.11. The core issue is that authentication tokens are stored in the system's temporary directory (/tmp), which is commonly world-readable on Unix-like systems. This insecure storage violates best practices for credential protection (CWE-522). Any local user or malicious application with access to the host can read these tokens. If remote access to the sequencer is enabled, an attacker who obtains a token can remotely connect to the device without further authentication. Moreover, the attacker can leverage this access to generate developer tokens with arbitrary expiration dates, effectively creating persistent backdoors that bypass standard authentication controls. Exploitation requires local privilege level access to read the token and remote access enabled on the device. Remote access may be enabled by the user for legitimate reasons or by malware with elevated privileges. The vulnerability does not require user interaction but does require some privilege level (local) and remote access enabled. There are no known public exploits yet, but the potential for chained attacks and persistent unauthorized access makes this a significant risk. The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N) reflects local attack vector, low complexity, partial attack complexity, partial privileges required, no user interaction, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

For European organizations, especially those involved in genomics research, clinical diagnostics, or biotechnology using Oxford Nanopore sequencing devices, this vulnerability poses a significant risk. Unauthorized access to sequencing devices can lead to data theft, manipulation of sequencing results, or disruption of critical research and diagnostic workflows. Persistent unauthorized access via developer tokens could allow attackers to maintain long-term control over devices, potentially impacting data integrity and availability. In regulated environments, such as healthcare or research institutions under GDPR, unauthorized data access could lead to compliance violations and reputational damage. The risk is heightened in multi-user or shared computing environments where local users may have access to the host system. Additionally, if malware with elevated privileges enables remote access without user consent, the attack surface expands considerably. The lack of current patches means organizations must rely on compensating controls to reduce risk. Overall, the vulnerability threatens confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sequencing operations, which are critical in precision medicine and research.

1. Immediately restrict permissions on the /tmp directory or the specific token file to prevent unauthorized local users from reading authentication tokens. Use filesystem ACLs or mount options to limit access. 2. Disable remote access to MinKNOW sequencers unless explicitly required for operational purposes. If remote access is necessary, restrict it to trusted networks and use strong network-level access controls such as VPNs or IP whitelisting. 3. Monitor logs and network traffic for unusual remote connections or token usage patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. 4. Implement endpoint security measures to prevent malware infections that could escalate privileges or enable remote access surreptitiously. 5. Regularly audit user privileges on host machines to minimize the number of users with local access and elevated privileges. 6. Engage with Oxford Nanopore Technologies for updates and apply patches promptly once available. 7. Consider isolating sequencing devices on segmented networks to limit lateral movement in case of compromise. 8. Educate users and administrators about the risks of enabling remote access and the importance of secure credential storage. 9. Use host-based intrusion detection systems to alert on unauthorized file access or changes in remote access configurations.