Bank of Canada warns of cybersecurity risks from Anthropic's Mythos AI model
Global financial leaders warned of potential cybersecurity risks posed by Anthropic's Mythos AI model, which reportedly demonstrated unprecedented skill at finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities. Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem stated that governments and regulators need to address the risks quickly, though no actual cyber incidents had occurred at the time of reporting.
What happened
Anthropic announced the Mythos model earlier in April 2026 but declined to make it widely available due to cybersecurity risks. The model has demonstrated unprecedented skill at finding and exploiting vulnerabilities in software according to Anthropic.
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem stated that the emergence of AI models adept at hacking into secure systems was widely discussed at spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington. Macklem said governments and regulators need to move quickly to address the cybersecurity risks posed by such tools.
Reported impact
Bank of Canada Governor Macklem stated there is no actual live cyber incident at the moment but acknowledged the potential for Mythos to pose risks to the financial system. Questions about Mythos's potential impact on the financial system prompted U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to convene a meeting of top U.S. bank CEOs.
Index analysis
The Canadian Financial Sector Resiliency Group, chaired by the Bank of Canada and including representatives from other regulators and Canada's big banks, met to discuss the financial system security implications of Mythos. Macklem, who chairs the vulnerability assessment committee of the Financial Stability Board, characterized the issue as requiring ongoing management rather than a one-time concern.
Governance controls
Anthropic chose not to make Mythos widely available because of the risks it presents. The model's capabilities prompted discussions between government and financial sector leaders internationally.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.