Cracking the Fast16 sabotage malware mystery

From Three Buddy Problem by Security Conversations

May 1, 2026 · 1h 48m

About this episode

The episode discusses the FAST16 sabotage malware and its implications for cybersecurity and international relations.

( Presented by TLPBLACK : A cybersecurity intelligence platform focused on sharing curated, high-sensitivity threat insights and research with trusted security professionals. ) Three Buddy Problem - Episode 96 : We're joined by WIRED writer Andy Greenberg to dig into SentinelLabs' bombshell FAST16 research, a newly deciphered piece of sabotage malware that predates Stuxnet by five years and quietly tampered with physics modeling software likely tied to Iran's nuclear program. We discuss the attribution rabbit hole (NSA? Israel? someone else?), the eerie "spiritual warfare" implications of corrupting scientific calculations, and Antiy Labs' very dialectical Chinese rebuttal. Plus, what AI reverse-engineering means for the next decade of cyber paleontology. Cast: Andy Greenberg , Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade , Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu . Timestamps: 0:00 - WIRED’s Andy Greenberg joins the show 1:53 - How the FAST16 scoop landed in Andy's lap 6:45 - JAGS sat on this sample for 7 years 10:33 - How Costin and the Kaspersky team missed the sabotage routine 15:20 - The "holy moly" moment: what FAST16 actually does 18:26 - Territorial Dispute, Shadow Brokers, and the driver list 24:11…

People in this episode

Hosts: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine, Costin Raiu

Guest: Andy Greenberg

Topics covered

cybersecurity
malware
Iran nuclear program
AI reverse-engineering
attribution
sabotage

Keywords

FAST16
malware
cybersecurity
Iran
Stuxnet
AI
attribution
sabotage

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SentinelLabs, Antiy Labs, Kaspersky

Books & works: Stuxnet

Places: Iran