Synthetic DNA Hacked A Computer

In 2017, University of Washington researchers successfully hacked a computer using a physical strand of synthetic DNA. They encoded malicious instructions into its A, C, G, and T bases and passed the strand through a DNA sequencer. When a vulnerable analysis program processed the resulting genetic data, the code exploited the software and gave the researchers full remote control of the connected computer. The team stressed that the experiment was a controlled proof of concept made possible by a specific software weakness, not evidence of an active real-world threat.

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