Lab Instrument Cybersecurity: What Buyers Should Ask - Lab Manager

Lab managers now rank cybersecurity as a top criterion when purchasing connected equipment, according to a 2026 survey.

Lab Manager's Fall Purchasing Trends Survey found that 88% of respondents consider cybersecurity and data governance features at least somewhat important when buying connected lab instruments, with 45% rating them very important.

This marks a significant shift from past purchasing habits, where factors like throughput, sensitivity, and footprint were the primary considerations.

Who is paying attention

The people closest to day-to-day lab operations take it most seriously, with 51% of lab managers rating cybersecurity very important.

There is a sharp divide between regulated and less regulated labs, with 54% of labs that require fully validated equipment rating it very important compared to just 17% of those that do not.

Interestingly, company size makes little difference, as respondents at organizations with more than 1,000 employees and those at much smaller ones were equally likely to rate cybersecurity very important.

Security and usability go together

Buyers who prioritize security also value usability, with 89% of security-focused buyers rating user-friendly software very important.

This finding challenges the assumption that security controls slow down work, as confusing or slow security features are often bypassed through shared logins or disabled screen locks.

The survey also shows that software has caught up with price as a key buying factor, with buyers seeking instruments that are both secure and easy to use.

Why it matters more now

Lab instruments have long working lives, often staying in service for a decade, while the operating systems and software they run on may lose security support well before then.

A security breach can have far-reaching consequences, as seen in June 2024 when a ransomware attack on pathology provider Synnovis caused pathology services in south east London to run at about 10% of normal capacity.

Regulators have also taken notice, with the FDA finalizing its guidance on Cybersecurity in Medical Devices in June 2025, which sets out requirements for manufacturers to provide a software bill of materials and plans to monitor and address vulnerabilities.

This guidance applies to many connected clinical diagnostic instruments, while research-use instruments generally do not, meaning buyers in research, QC, and testing labs must ask the same questions themselves.

What to ask before your next instrument joins the network

The best time to deal with an instrument's security is before you buy it, as once it is installed and validated, any change becomes harder.

Buyers should ask about the vendor's support lifecycle and patching policy, as instruments often outlive the operating systems they run on.

It is also crucial to understand what is inside the instrument, with a software bill of materials (SBOM) allowing IT teams to quickly assess whether a newly announced vulnerability affects their equipment.

Other key questions include the instrument's network requirements, access controls, audit trails, and how remote service access is handled.

Finally, buyers should verify that data is protected through encryption in storage and transit, and that it can be exported in open formats.