Sky3D Add-On for Godot by Tokisan Games / Uncategorized / January 7, 2025 Today we are looking the powerful new Godot Sky3D add-on from Tokisan Games, the creators of the popular Terrain3D plugin. I air quotes around new because the Sky3D project is actually a revival of an earlier Godot 3 add-on by J. Cullar. That project however was abandoned, so Tokisan have dusted it off, ported to Godot 4.3+ and continued development.Features of Sky3D include:Automatically rotating sun, moon, and starsDynamic clouds and atmosphere that changes with the cycleConsolidated controls to adjust lighting and camera exposureManagement of game time: current time, day length, day or nightThe project is open source under the MIT license and is now written entirely in GDScript (the 3.0 version used a combination of GDScript and C#).Key LinksSky3D GitHub RepositorySky3D HomepageTokisan Games HomepageTerrain 3D GitHub RepositoryYou can learn more about the Sky3D add-on for the Godot 4.3+ game engine and see it in action in the video below.

Severance season 2 debuts on Apple TV+ on Friday, January 17, with new episodes airing through March 21.The dystopian mystery boxes of Silo and Severance have burnished AppleTV+s reputation for scintillating science fiction, but after incredible debuts, their follow-ups are on opposite trajectories. While Silo thrives by widening its world and deepening its characters in season 2, Severance falters by holding too tightly to its secrets, leaning too heavily on vibes, and getting its 10-episode second season off to an agonizingly slow start. Creator and executive producer Dan Erickson wastes two episodes resetting the status quo at the fictional Lumon Industries, the enigmatic corporation where some employees elect to surgically split their consciences into a work self and a home self. (Innies and Outies in the parlance of the show.) After severed employees Mark (Adam Scott) and Helly (Britt Lower) managed to use their brief time occupying the bodies of their Outies to issue warnings about what was really going on at Lumon, a big deal is made about giving Mark a new team at the job where he sorts numbers on a computer into a series of boxes. (It seems bizarre and pointless but according to Lumon brass, its building to one of the greatest moments in the history of the planet.) But those coworkers played by the likes of Bob Balaban and Alia Shawkat are there so briefly it feels like they were cast merely for a trailer gag.The time spent on manager Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette) feels even more pointless, primarily showing her driving around and making cases for how important she is. The eerie visuals of the too-white, largely empty office and the bleak, snowy barrenness of the outside world which the Innies speculate might be somewhere in Wyoming are part of the charm, but this season is leaning too hard on the direction of Ben Stiller and Sam Donovan. There are just too many close-ups of people looking contemplative and not enough of the dark humor that made season 1 such an effective satire of office culture and workplace sitcoms.There are still so many mysteries about Lumons goals and the lives of the characters outside of the office that it feels like the writers are being needlessly stingy with their reveals. When they do come, its easy to feel a refreshed love for the show. It embraces its surrealist streak when Mark and Helly crawl through a goat tunnel (a scene recalling one of Severances major tonal and visual touchstones, Being John Malkovich) and taps into its emotional core with Irving (John Turturro) reminiscing with another old timer about his retired love interest, Burt (Christopher Walken).Severance Season 2 Episodes 1-6 GalleryTurturro is a highlight of everything hes in and he continues to shine in season 2, where he grapples with the same feelings of loss as Mark, who became severed after the (supposed) death of his wife. Irving considers quitting, effectively killing his Innie self to avoid the pain of losing Burt, but his grief is quickly put aside in favor of relentlessly diving into new mysteries inside Lumon while sweetly if awkwardly reconnecting with Burt and his husband, Fields (John Noble), on the outside. While one of the plots Irving is focused on is fairly obvious, it actually makes his doggedness even more impressive given how much his coworkers are hesitant to question things that dont align with what they want the truth to be.Dylan (Zach Cherry) was largely relegated to foul-mouthed comic relief in season 1, but hes a significantly more realized character this season. The most perk-obsessed member of the Macrodata Refinement department receives a new benefit that puts him at odds with Mark, Helly, and Irving and entangles his two selves in a conflict similar to the short-lived Paul Rudd sci-fi comedy Living with Yourself. Marks reasons for taking a job that requires brain surgery are tragic, but the truth about Dylan and why his success at Lumon means so much to him are even bleaker products of an economy that runs on mundane cruelty and crushed dreams.When the big reveals come, its easy to feel a refreshed love for Severance.Attempts to build out the character of Lumon supervisor Seth Milchick (Tramell Tillman) fare less well. Tillman continues to flawlessly marry geniality and menace while Milchick navigates the difficult task of keeping the insurgent severed employees on track. Like Cobels plot, Milchicks brutal performance review and an unsettling reward in the form of a book depicting Lumon founder Kier Eagan (Marc Geller) as a Black man (despite every other corporate product stamped with Kiers white, bearded likeness) are clearly meant to be a commentary on how the cult-like company treats employees at every level. But the supervisors are so thinly drawn and unlikable that its hard to feel any sympathy for their plight.Its not all bad news: I havent seen the last four episodes of the season, but Severance is clearly leading to some big reveals about the nature of its titularprocess and the work Lumon is conducting, and the flashing visuals where the Innie and Outie worlds fuse are deeply disturbing, enhanced by some dramatic sound design that flows well into Theodore Shapiros eerie instrumental score. Erickson is also digging into deep questions about the nature of self and how love can exist outside of memory. Helly reckons with what a monster her Outie is, while Innie Mark is torn between his feelings for Helly and his obligation to find his Outies missing wife, Gemma shown to be fellow Lumon staffer Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman) at the end of last season. This is familiar territory for Lachman, who explored these themes 15 years ago on Dollhouse. While Severance has taken a very different approach to the idea of memory wiping, it sometimes seems like its heading to the same endpoint.What we said about the Severance series premiere"Apple TV+s Severance puts a late-stage capitalism spin on the office sitcom. The chilling two-episode premiere uses a clever premise and excellent cast to set up an intriguing mystery that leaves plenty of room for the characters to evolve." Samantha NelsonScore: 9Read the complete Severance premiere review.Its possible season 2 will pick up the pace and deliver more of the big twists and emotional depth that made its predecessor one of the best shows of 2022. But its hard not to feel frustrated while Silo excels at the same assignment, following every bombshell with more questions and skillfully adding new layers to its heroes and villains while leaving so much about them implied. Severance feels like it needs a performance improvement plan in order to keep its viewers happy. Whatever mysteries it has in store wont matter if weve tuned out before theyre solved.

Spider-Man and Deadpool have quite a colorful history together. Their alliance was the foundation of the ongoing Spider-Man/Deadpool series a few years ago, and Spidey tends to be one of the few heroes Wade Wilson looks up to (even if the feeling is anything but mutual). But that's Peter Parker. What happens when Deadpool crosses paths with Miles Morales instead? That's the premise behind Pools of Blood, a crossover linking writer Cody Ziglar's monthly Deadpool and Miles Morales: Spider-Man comics.Check out the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive look at interior art from the first two chapters of Pools of Blood, then read on to learn more about the crossover from Ziglar himself:Deadpool & Miles Morales: Spider-Man - Pools of Blood Crossover ImagesUnsurprisingly, this crossover has been in the works since it first became clear Ziglar would be writing both books in 2024. As he explains, the similarities between Miles and Wade's daughter Ellie (who replaced her father upon his death and now shares the Deadpool mantle with him), were too intriguing not to explore in more depth."I knew from the beginning that I wanted to expand Ellies role in Wades life and eventually have her meet Miles," Ziglar tells IGN. "They seemed like a fun 'opposite sides of the coin' dynamic with them both being Afro-Latino mantle holders. Its why we had Agent Gao appear in a cameo in the first issue. I also thought itd be fun to have Wade interact with Miles since theyve only had a brief run-in before with Pete."Ziglar promises a very different and more antagonistic dynamic between Wade and this younger Spider-Man. That's in part because Deadpool has reluctantly accepted a contract to kill Miles, a contract he hopes will help provide some much-needed capital in his ongoing feud with the villain Death Grip."I think entering into this, Wade is very much a fan of Petes Spider-Man - he respects him and dare I say looks up to him?" Ziglar says. "Its partly why he has such reservations about taking the job to kill Miles Spider-Man. Hes really only in this position because he felt he had no other option if he wanted to get the funds and materials to take out Death Grip. However, its really Ellie who doesnt sit right with this mission and it becomes the driving emotional force for this crossover."This sudden conflict with the two Deadpools comes at a bad time for Miles, who is still reeling from the events of 2024's Blood Hunt crossover and the trauma of becoming a vampire. Expect the fallout of that crossover and other recent ordeals in Miles' life to directly fuel the conflict in Pools of Blood."Miles has really been through the wringer for the past few arcs and this is the first time in a while hes felt a sense of normalcy and peace. Life is finally starting to get back to normal while also juggling bringing a new sibling (Shift) into the Morales family and also taking him under his wings as a fellow Spider-Man," Ziglar says. "The conflict in 'Pools of Blood' brings up some things for Miles like maybe every decisions hes made post-Vampire wasnt the most responsible move to make. And maybe just because hes trying to do good doesnt mean hes necessary thought out how his actions would impact those around him."PlayThe same goes for both Deadpools, as both father and daughter are still coming to terms with their respective deaths and the ongoing threat posed by Death Grip. For Wade, this job represents a distasteful but necessary opportunity to level the playing field."Wade and Ellies death is the main driving motivation behind Wade for this arc," Ziglar says. "Wades emotional journey for this run as been: 1) Thinking hes doing right by Ellie by pushing her away and keeping her from his life, 2) Realizing that that wasnt the best move and accepting Ellie into his life while wrestling with the fear that something could happen to her, and 3) having his biggest fear realized when he was killed by Death Grip. So for Wade this is an 'any means necessary' type of job where he knows hes doing a bad thing but, in his mind, its worth it if he uses the money from the job to buy a weapon strong enough to take out the biggest threat in his life (Death Grip)."Ziglar continues, "In terms of Ellie, she has some serious reservations about being hired to kill Spider-Man but she promised her dad that shes ready to fully be a part of his life, warts and all. And part of being a professional super-mercenary is taking jobs where good people get hurt. Still, even with that in mind, Ellie much like Wade just wants to find a way to take out Death Grip but shes a little more reasonable as far as talking things out goes."Finally, with so much of the Marvel Universe being swept up in the upcoming One World Under Doom crossover, we were curious how Pools of Blood might inform the events of that crossover. Will we see the impact of Doom's rise to power felt in Deadpool and Miles Morales: Spider-Man? Ziglar is keeping coy on that subject, teasing only, "I dont want to spoil anything, so Ill say itll be felt."Pools of Blood kicks off in Deadpool #11, which hits stores on February 12, and continues in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #30, which hits on February 19.For more on what's coming in the Marvel Universe, check out what to expect from Marvel in 2025 and see IGN's most anticipated comics of 2025. Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket byfollowing @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Sony has revealed its movie adaptation of beloved PlayStation horror game Until Dawn will feature a new story and cast of characters separate from the original game's.Ashley Brucks, president of Sony's film division Screen Gems, said during a CES 2025 presentation that Until Dawn will still respect the source material, however, and actor Peter Stormare, who played Doctor Hill in the original game and plays an unknown character in the film, said this approach works for dedicated fans and newcomers."I have been lucky to be part of Until Dawn since the original, incredible, super terrifying game, and what's why I'm so excited to be part of this film, because the whole thing is a love letter to horror, and it completely honors the spirit of the game," Stormare said."The movie is going to be full of fresh characters and victims in a brand new story loaded with twists, so whether you're a longtime fan or discovering it for the first time, get ready for Until Dawn like you've never seen it before."The movie is going to be full of fresh characters and victims in a brand new story loaded with twists.Brucks expanded on how the film was adapted, insisting it honors the original Until Dawn despite being a fresh take on the premise. The original game followed eight teenagers spending a spooky night in the woods, with players' choices determining who lived and died."The key to successful adapting these games comes down to one thing: respecting the source material," Brucks said. "Our close collaboration with PlayStation Productions gives us and our filmmakers the advantage of working directly with the creators of the game."It's a careful balance of trying to identify and incorporate what the fans love about the game and the experience as well as offering something fresh and exciting to entice newcomers. In adapting Until Dawn, filmmaker David F. Sandberg, who is a big fan of the widely acclaimed game, took the essence of what makes the game great and selected elements we think are the most important to the fans and paid homage to it in the right way."We then built out Until Dawn's universe, using the core premise of a group of friends who encounter a variety of terrifying threats to tell a new story that is truly visceral and horrifying."Comments on expanding Until Dawn's universe are familiar to those who played the PlayStation 5 remake which, despite suffering a rough launch, introduced a new ending to the game that appeared to set up a sequel.Additional scenes, and spoiler warning for the new ending which arrived in October 2024, were added at the end of both Josh and Sam's "good" endings.A cutscene shows Josh, played by Rami Malek, survive the wendigo encounter while a voiceover from Stormare's Doctor Hill, the therapist who speaks with him and the player between each chapter, talks of Josh finally finding redemption.The larger of the two scenes is what some players believe sets up a sequel, however. It's the first scene not set within the single night the rest of Until Dawn takes place in, instead showing Sam, played by Hayden Panettiere, years later.Aptly waking up at dawn in her Los Angeles apartment, with medicine and a book about myths on her bedside table, Sam swipes to unlock her phone and blood smears across the screen. She opens her palm and sees blood trickling down from a nasty scar on her arm that doesn't quite appear to be real. Following a knock at the door and further wipes at her arm, a voice from behind her whispers "Sam" before the scene cuts to black.The Until Dawn film could therefore offer other tie ins to a new game, or be a full sequel itself, though original developer Supermassive Games hasn't indicated that another game is coming. Fans don't have too long to wait before seeing what the adaptation entails, as it arrives April 25, 2025.Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

When it comes to working with director Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights, Battle Ship, Lone Survivor), Taylor Kitsch (also Friday Night Lights, Battle Ship, Lone Survivor) has a simple approach. I have no choice, Kitsch tells Den of Geek. Theres just a brotherhood thats there. And a trust.That trust between director and performer is now set to be put to good use again in American Primeval, a six-episode Western miniseries set to debut to Netflix on January 9, 2025. Set around the real life events of the Mountain Meadows Massacre in 1857, American Primeval is described as a fictionalized dramatization and examination of the violent collision of culture, religion, and community [in the 19th century American West] as men and women fight and die to keep or control this land.One of the men fighting for control is Isaac (Kitsch), a mysterious frontiersman who agrees to shepherd a woman named Sara (Betty Gilpin) and her son (Preston Mota) across southern Utah past militiamen, bounty hunters, Paiute and renegade Shoshone tribes, and the Mormon army. Its a dangerous journey to be sure, and a violent one. Just how violent, you ask? Well Netflix has helpfully provided an exclusive clip from the series that shows how quickly things can turn on a dime in the Old West. Give it a look below!Here we see Isaac and Sara approach some fur traders with a simple request to buy their horses. The traders, however, have been tipped off that a woman and her son are traveling through the area and there will be a considerable reward for turning them in to bounty hunters. Rather than accepting $100 for the horses (which, according to an inflation calculator would be about $4,100 now), they decide the bounty is probably the better reward. Unfortunately for them, thats the last decision they ever make.Watching Taylor Kitsch spring into action as a scion of old-timey Western vengeance, you get a sense of why the Canadian actor is happy to keep answering Peter Bergs calls. Isaac looks like some unholy cross between Wolverine and John Wick as he quickly empties his pistol into two traders then procures a hatchet to violently finish off the rest. The whole melee takes roughly 10 seconds and by the end of it, at least five assailants are a bloody mush and Isaac and company are ready to continue on with their new, now free, transportation.Bro, you should have just sold them those horses. In addition to Kitsch and Gilpin, American Primeval stars Dane DeHaan, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Derek Hinkey, Joe Tippett, Jai Courtney, Preston Mota, Shawnee Pourier, and Shea Whigham, and Kim Coates as Mormon leader Brigham Young. The miniseries was created and written by Mark L. Smith and executive produced by Eric Newman and Alex Gayner. Julie OKeefe serves Indigenous Cultural Consultant and Project Advisor.All six episodes of American Primeval premiere Thursday, January 9 on Netflix.

Apple always offers an extended return window for products purchased during the holiday season. But that period is just about to end, making now your last chance to get in any last-minute returns.January 8 is the last day to make holiday returnsincluding for M4 MacsHeres Apples holiday return policy:Eligible products at the Apple Store Online that are received between November 8, 2024 and December 25, 2024, may be returned through January 8, 2025. Please note that all other terms and conditions provided in the Apple Store Online Sales and Refunds Policy are still applicable with respect to such products purchased. iPhone purchases that are carrier-financed with T-Mobile or Verizon are not eligible and are subject to standard return policy. All purchases made after December 25, 2024 are subject to the Standard Return Policy.This holiday policy is especially relevant to two main groups of people:Those who received Apple products as gifts over the holidaysAnd also anyone who purchased an M4 MacOf course, even if you dont fit into either of these buckets, but you made an Apple Store purchase any time from November 8 through December 25, tomorrow is your last chance to make a return.I wanted to highlight M4 Mac customers specifically, though, because the first M4 Macs debuted on November 8.That means no one (outside of Russia) received their M4 MacBook Pro, M4 iMac, or M4 Mac mini any earlier than the holiday windows kickoff.So if youve been waffling on whether to keep your M4 Mac, or any other Apple product purchased or received in the last couple months, act fast. This Wednesday, January 8 is the last day to make a return.Are you making any Apple product returns? Let us know in the comments.Best iPhone accessoriesAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Vision Pro has a lot of potential as a gaming device, but that potential has mostly been untapped so far. Today, an NVIDIA announcement is one of the first signs of change on the way.Game streaming service will be fully optimized for Safari on visionOSAs spotted by MacStories, NVIDIA has announced that their game streaming service, GeForce NOW, will be coming to the Vision Pro later this month when the newest app update, version 2.0.70, starts rolling out.From NVIDIAs announcement post:In collaboration with Apple, Meta and ByteDance, NVIDIA is expanding GeForce NOW cloud gaming to Apple Vision Pro spatial computers, Meta Quest 3 and 3S and Pico virtual- and mixed-reality devices with all the bells and whistles of NVIDIA technologies, including ray tracing and NVIDIA DLSSLater this month, these supported devices will give members access to an extensive library of games to stream through GeForce NOW by opening the browser to play.geforcenow.comIt sounds like rather than offering a dedicated app on Vision Pro, NVIDIA will be rolling out updates that optimize GeForce NOW for performing well in Safari on visionOS.NVIDIA says Vision Pro and the other VR devices will support gamepad-compatible titles and GeForce NOW Ultimate and Performance members will be able to tap into RTX and DLSS technologies in supported games for an even better visual experience.This news follows the recent Mark Gurman report that Apple and Sony were working to bring support for true VR gaming controllers from the PlayStation VR2 to Vision Pro. Slowly, the gaming story on Vision Pro is starting to grow.9to5Macs TakeGame streaming has had a rocky road for adoption on Apples platforms, primarily due to App Store rules that at one time restricted streaming apps. Nearly a year ago though, Apple updated its App Store policies to explicitly allow game streaming apps. We havent yet seen a major wave of developers bringing game streaming to Apple platforms, but todays announcement is a good sign for future potential.Are you excited about this news? Do you think gaming on Vision Pro will start to take off? Let us know in the comments.Best Vision Pro accessoriesAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

There are plenty of third-party apps that will create automated lighting scenes with Philips Hue products, but a report that the company will be launching this feature in the official app has today been confirmed.Users will be able to request AI-generated scenes using either voice or text, with the company citing the example Give me a scene for a garden party Hueblog said in October of last year that the feature was in testing.AI has become an integral part of the technology world and artificial intelligence now has a hand in many things. Perhaps soon in Philips Hue too? This is indeed conceivable, at least in part.Philips Hue has been testing an AI Playground for some time now, which is designed to create a suitable light scene with a simple text command. Create a scene for a childrens birthday party or Create a scene for a cosy breakfast should provide the appropriate light settings.When it is launched in the Hue app unfortunately I dont know the exact date it will probably only have limited functionality at first. According to my information, the AI function will not yet be able to create its own scenes, but will only recommend suitable, existing scenes. You can then use commands such as What is the best scene for a winter evening to get the right results.The Verge today says that the company has confirmed that it will be launching some time this quarter.Philips Hue users will soon be able to create their own AI-powered lighting scenes, the company announced on Tuesday.Philips Hues new generative AI lighting assistant lets users create personalized lighting scenes based on occasion, mood, or style. They can do so by typing commands like Give me a scene for a garden party into the Hue app and also by using their voice. The assistant will then either recommend scenes from the existing Philips Hue gallery or create a new one entirely. In addition to creating scenes, the AI assistant can also be used to adjust the settings of existing lights, including brightness levels and color.The news gets a brief mention in a press release published today, but with no further details.Philips Hue introduces its first generative AI assistant in the Hue app, delivering personalized lighting scenes based on mood, occasion or style. Available in 2025, the assistant lets users type or speak commands to create the perfect ambiance, with feedback features ensuring continuous improvement.It will be compatible with all Hue lights.Image: Philips Hue and 9to5MacAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

"This sounds like science fiction right now, and somewhat crazy to even talk about it."Path ForwardOpenAI CEO Sam Altman has tried all kinds of rhetorical strategies to suggest that the dawn of artificial general intelligence (AGI) is nigh and in new missive, now he's trying a fresh pitch: that while OpenAI hasn't quite created AGI quite yet, it knows the roadmap to get there."We are now confident we know how to build AGI as we have traditionally understood it," Altman wrote in a personal blog post.There's a lot to unpack about what a "traditional" understanding of AGI might entail. In the past, OpenAI has described it as a "system that outperforms humans at most economically valuable work" and Altman characterized it as a "magic intelligence in the sky,"though an exact definition remains shrouded in controversy.One thing's for sure: this latest appeal dovetails perfectly with OpenAI and Altman's current business proposition: that they can pull off economically compelling AI, if only they can obtain more and more financial and computing resources to build the systems to support it.To that end, Altman wrote in his new post that AI "agents" may begin to "join the workforce" this year. In doing so, the CEO wrote, these seemingly AIs will "materially change the output of companies" which would also mean, of course, that they'd replace human workers, with all the baggage that entails.Glory DaysIn reality, whether OpenAI is really on the cusp offinally birthing AGI which Altman has been teasingfor agesis a matter of serious contention among experts.Sure, maybe it can fund enough data centers to scale its way to true human-level intelligence, but it's also perfectly possible that it'll hit a wall, or that its gains are already leveling off.But for all Altman's bravado, his latest entreaty sounds a lot like OpenAI's familiar and steady drip of AGI investment pitches."This sounds like science fiction right now, and somewhat crazy to even talk about it," the CEO contended. "Thats alright weve been there before and were OK with being there again."Share This Article

Jan 07, 2025Ravie LakshmananFirmware Security / MalwareCybersecurity researchers have uncovered firmware security vulnerabilities in the Illumina iSeq 100 DNA sequencing instrument that, if successfully exploited, could permit attackers to brick or plant persistent malware on susceptible devices."The Illumina iSeq 100 used a very outdated implementation of BIOS firmware using CSM [Compatibility Support Mode] mode and without Secure Boot or standard firmware write protections," Eclypsium said in a report shared with The Hacker News."This would allow an attacker on the system to overwrite the system firmware to either 'brick' the device or install a firmware implant for ongoing attacker persistence."While the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) is the modern replacement for the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), the firmware security company said the iSeq 100 boots to an old version of BIOS (B480AM12 - 04/12/2018) that has known vulnerabilities.Also noticeably absent are protections to tell the hardware where it can read and write firmware, thereby allowing an attacker to modify device firmware. Also not enabled is Secure Boot, thereby allowing malicious changes to the firmware to go undetected.Eclypsium pointed out that it's not advisable for newer high-value assets to support CSM, as it's chiefly meant for old devices that can't be upgraded and need to maintain compatibility. Following responsible disclosure, Illumina has released a fix.In a hypothetical attack scenario, an adversary could target unpatched Illumina devices, escalate their privileges, and write arbitrary code to the firmware. This is not the first time severe vulnerabilities have been disclosed in DNA gene sequencers from Illumina. In April 2023, a critical security flaw (CVE-2023-1968, CVSS score: 10.0) could have made it possible to eavesdrop on network traffic and remotely transmit arbitrary commands."The ability to overwrite firmware on the iSeq 100 would enable attackers to easily disable the device, causing significant disruption in the context of a ransomware attack. This would not only take a high-value device out of service, it would also likely take considerable effort to recover the device via manually reflashing the firmware," Eclypsium said."This could significantly raise the stakes in the context of a ransomware or cyberattack. Sequencers are critical to detecting genetic illnesses, cancers, identifying drug-resistant bacteria, and for the production of vaccines. This would make these devices a ripe target for state-based actors with geopolitical motives in addition to the more traditional financial motives of ransomware actors."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE