Financial authorities in parts of Asia are increasing attention on cyber threats linked to Anthropic PBC’s AI model Mythos, reported Bloomberg.
In Singapore, the financial regulator has called on banks to fix weaknesses.
In South Korea, state bodies have held discussions on possible responses.
Meanwhile, Australian regulators said lenders should stay alert so that customers are not exposed because of weak safeguards.
Regulators are in contact with financial companies about how they are dealing with cyber risks connected to Mythos, which remains available only on a limited basis.
Anthropic paused a broader rollout after determining that the model could identify long-standing security flaws, heightening concern about a new wave of cyber attacks.
In South Korea, the financial regulator held an emergency session last week with industry groups to discuss matters tied to Mythos, according to sources.
Those discussions were aimed at sharing what is currently known about security conditions related to Mythos and considering how to respond in a way that protects system stability, the sources said.
They asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential.
With uncertainty still high, the talks centred on assessing the situation as it stands, they said.
A South Korean security committee and related authorities also met last week to review fast-moving developments that are reshaping the cyber-security landscape.
Among the ideas raised was the creation of an AI-based real-time defence system.
The country’s AI strategy council security special committee chairman Lee Won-tae said: “We have entered an era where AI, not humans, holds the initiative in hacking.
“It is clear that if we fail to adapt all our existing security policies to the pace of technological evolution, security will ultimately become an obstacle to the AI transformation and our leap toward becoming an AI powerhouse.”
In Australia, a spokesperson for the Australian Securities & Investments Commission said newer technologies may offer advantages, but they have also increased cyber risk in both scale and complexity.
The spokesperson said the agency expects financial services licensees to be “on the front foot every day” in maintaining adequate protections.
The regulator added that it works closely with other watchdogs, public agencies and the financial industry to track and respond to technological change, in an approach similar to that of Australia’s prudential regulator.
In Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore is working with the national cyber security agency to reinforce protection at critical infrastructure operators, including banks, a spokesperson said in response to Bloomberg questions about risks associated with Mythos.
“Financial institutions need to redouble efforts to strengthen their security defenses, pro-actively identify and close vulnerabilities, and raise vigilance on cyber hygiene, including timely security patching,” the spokesperson said.
Advances in artificial intelligence will “accelerate the discovery and exploitation of software vulnerabilities in IT systems,” the spokesperson added.
Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency issued an advisory on 15 April warning about comparable risks, without naming Mythos.
In the US, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell held an urgent meeting this month with senior Wall Street bank executives to discuss the threat and the measures firms are taking to protect their systems, Bloomberg reported.
In the UK, the Bank of England, the Financial Conduct Authority and HM Treasury are in urgent contact with the National Cyber Security Centre, and are also engaging with the country’s biggest banks on the issue, the Financial Times reported.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, whose bank is testing Mythos, said on recent earnings call that AI has intensified cyber risk, while also providing stronger tools for defence.
