Bloomberg (Gift Article): “A small group of unauthorized users have accessed Anthropic PBC’s new Mythos AI model, a technology that the company says is so powerful it can enable dangerous cyberattacks, according to a person familiar with the matter and documentation viewed by Bloomberg News. A handful of users in a private online forum gained access to Mythos on the same day that Anthropic first announced a plan to release the model to a limited number of companies for testing purposes, said the person, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal. The group has been using Mythos regularly since then, though not for cybersecurity purposes, said the person, who corroborated the account with screenshots and a live demonstration of the model. Anthropic has said Mythos is capable of identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities “in every major operating system and every major web browser when directed by a user to do so.” As a result, the company has taken pains to ensure that the technology is only available to a select batch of software providers through an initiative called Project Glasswing, with the goal of allowing those firms to test and safeguard their own systems from potential cyberattacks. The unauthorized access, which has not previously been reported, highlights the challenge Anthropic faces in fully preventing its most powerful — and potentially dangerous — technology from spreading beyond approved partners. It also raises questions about whether anyone else may be using Mythos without permission, and for what purpose…The person said the group also has access to a slew of other unreleased Anthropic AI models.”

• See also The New York Times – Anthropic’s New A.I. Model Sets Off Global Alarms. Mythos has triggered emergency responses from central banks and intelligence agencies globally, as Anthropic decides who has access to the powerful model…The responses illustrated a reality that A.I. researchers have long warned about mostly in theoretical terms: Whoever leads in building the most powerful A.I. models will gain outsize geopolitical advantages. Major A.I. breakthroughs are beginning to function less like product launches and more like weapons tests, and most nations want to understand how the technologies work and what protections are needed…”
• See also The Verge: “CISA, embattled under the Trump administration, reportedly hasn’t gotten Anthropic’s powerful AI. Several US federal agencies are taking up Anthropic’s new cybersecurity model to find vulnerabilities, but one is reportedly not getting in on the action: the nation’s central cybersecurity coordinator. On Tuesday, Axios reported that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) didn’t have access to Mythos Preview, which Anthropic has touted as a powerful tool for finding and patching security vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, other agencies like Commerce Department and National Security Agency (NSA) are reportedly using the model, and President Donald Trump’s administration has been negotiating broader access, Axios wrote last week. In a blog post, Anthropic said it’s “been in ongoing discussions with US government officials about Claude Mythos Preview and its offensive and defensive cyber capabilities,” and an unnamed Anthropic official told Axios that CISA was among the agencies briefed. Anthropic declined to comment and CISA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Combined with other actions to limit CISA’s workforce and funding, the report signals that CISA’s operations still haven’t been prioritized by the administration, possibly putting digital security at risk. The agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, is meant to serve as the central coordinating body for cybersecurity information, helping state and local officials that run elections and public utilities stay apprised of vulnerabilities and respond to attacks when they occur. But the Trump administration and congressional Republicans have launched political attacks on it, particularly after it declared the 2020 election that President Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden the “most secure in American history.” Trump later fired the official who led that agency in his first administration. The report signals that CISA’s operations still haven’t been prioritized by the administration.