[Zigurd]

> does this mean anyone can write code to perform any kind of task (nefarious or otherwise) and be protected by the First Amendment?

It should. Code is speech, so banning private speech is to create a thought-crime. Unless the author of that code intends it to be used as a weapon and facilitates that use, yes, they ought to be protected. Your hypothetical also probably isn't all that hypothetical. Pacemakers have vulns, and it isn't illegal to create a PoC proving the vuln is real. There are probably real world examples.