Decades-old pre-Stuxnet cyber sabotage tool breaks cover, NSA listed it as 'nothing to see here' — fast16 targeted nuclear reactors, dam design, and other high-precision civil engineering software years before Stuxnet broke cover
Security researchers have revealed a cyber-sabotage tool called fast16 that predates Stuxnet by at least five years. This state-level tool targets high-precision calculation software, introducing subtle inaccuracies in key calculations used in projects involving nuclear reactors, dam design, and physics simulations. The tool was identified based on an architectural hunch and was delivered through a carrier worm that targeted Windows 2000 and XP environments. Fast16 corrupts floating-point calculations in a predictable way, potentially leading to unexpected engineering project outcomes. The discovery of fast16 sheds light on the existence of state-grade cyber sabotage dating back to the mid-2000s.