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[ARTICLE · art-116415] src=helpnetsecurity.com ↗ pub= topic=ai-safety verified=true sentiment=↓ negative

Russian hackers plant nuclear weapon prompt in malware to trip AI safety guardrails

ESET has discovered a Russian state-sponsored hacking group, UAC-0099, embedding a manipulative prompt about nuclear weapons in a malicious VBS script to deliberately trigger AI safety mechanisms and disrupt AI-assisted malware analysis in Ukraine. The technique, named GuardBreaker, was found in a script tied to UAC-0099, a group previously linked to handing validated targets to the GRU-affiliated Sandworm hackers.

read1 min views1 publishedAug 31, 2026

Russian state hackers are trying to interfere with AI-assisted malware analysis in Ukraine by deliberately setting off AI safety mechanisms, ESET has found. The technique, named GuardBreaker by ESET, appeared in a malicious VBS script tied to UAC-0099, a Russia-aligned group previously observed conducting initial-access operations and handing validated targets to the GRU-linked Sandworm hackers. The manipulative prompt UAC-0099 embedded as comments in the VBS script (Source: ESET) “The analyzed VBS script is part of … More

The post Russian hackers plant nuclear weapon prompt in malware to trip AI safety guardrails appeared first on Help Net Security.

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