Erika Beras

Jags puts all the pieces together.

So Jags and Vitaly, still separated by a 12-hour time difference, set out to answer their next question.

Whose math was Fast16 designed to target?

For Vitaly, the idea that someone was targeting calculations that were supposed to keep us safe was incredibly disturbing.

In other words, this documentation from the Institute of Science and International Security seemed to suggest that the software FAST-16 was supposed to mess with was being used by Iranian nuclear scientists to maybe design nuclear bombs.

What would changing the math in this software achieve?

To solve that part of the puzzle, they had to get their hands on that software the Iranian scientists were using.

A very bespoke piece of physics modeling software released decades ago.

Very much not on the App Store.

And furthermore, it was designed to spread from computer to computer.

Jags and Vitale were flabbergasted by the sophistication and the technical prowess of this malware from decades ago.

Not just the Cody parts, but also the deep knowledge of nuclear physics.

Yeah, there are still some unknowns.

Number one, we don't know definitively that this was targeting Iran.

For example, North Korea also had nuclear ambitions at that time.

Jags, for his part, also checked in with them.

Right.

And the third thing we don't know is why the NSA wrote, in reference to Fast 16, the instructions, nothing to see here, carry on.

Who am I kidding?

You know how to find me.