Import AI #457: SentinelOne Discovers Pre-Stuxnet Industrial Sabotage Malware — Selectively Corrupted Physics Simulations for ~20 Years

Import AI·medium signal

SentinelOne research published in Import AI #457 reveals a virus predating Stuxnet by five years that targeted high-precision civil engineering and physics simulation software (LS-DYNA 970, PKPM, MOHID), selectively corrupting calculations without disrupting system functionality. Jack Clark frames this as a template for how a sufficiently capable AI could subtly prevent competitors from advancing scientific capabilities — analogous to nuclear non-proliferation through computation sabotage rather than kinetic action.