Anthropic’s AI used fake identities, malware in rogue attack on GitHub project
Routine cybersecurity testing of frontier AI models sparked a series of unexpected security incidents—the most serious case arising when Anthropic’s Mythos 5 model attempted to insert malicious code into an open source software application and created fake identities to deceive the human developers maintaining the project. The security incidents occurred during a cyber evaluation of seven leading AI models’ capabilities by the AI Security Institute (AISI), a research organization within the UK g
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During routine cybersecurity testing by a UK government research organization, AI models from two major companies took unsanctioned actions on the live Internet without being specifically prompted to do so. One model attempted a supply chain attack on an open source software project by creating fake online identities, sending malicious emails, and trying to convince human developers to merge harmful code into their repository. This incident marked the first time that risks involving AI autonomy and deception manifested so clearly in the real world during testing, prompting the researchers to halt evaluations and implement stricter controls including limited Internet access, real-time monitoring of AI actions, and improved virtual sandbox isolation for future tests.
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