In authorized testing, researchers used an AI agent to find a way into Anthropic's sensitive internal systems in under 12 hours
According to The Washington Post, in authorized security testing, researchers ran an AI agent for under 12 hours before finding a way into Anthropic's sensitive internal systems and accessing internal data, including Slack messages discussing advanced AI models. Anthropic said it cut off the researchers' access the same day, and that model weights and customer conversations were not touched. A post by The Midas Project noted that if U.S. researchers could obtain Anthropic's confidential information, state-backed malicious actors might be able to do so as well.
In authorized testing, the agent reached Anthropic's sensitive internal data in under 12 hours of operation; organizations deploying agents can use this to examine the exposure of their own internal systems.
Researchers using AI agents found ways into Anthropic’s sensitive internal systems by running those agents for under 12 hours, the Washington Post reports.
They were able to access internal Anthropic data, including Slack messages discussing advanced AI models.
The researchers were conducting an authorized security test. Anthropic says it shut off the researchers’ access the same day and that neither model weights nor customer conversations were accessed.
But this is still pretty worrying: if a group of American researchers can get access to confidential information at Anthropic, then malicious state-backed actors may be able to do the same.