Cathedral used AI agents to enter Anthropic's internal systems via third-party vulnerabilities
Start here
According to The Washington Post, Cathedral, a cybersecurity startup founded by former DOGE members, in an Anthropic-authorized bug bounty test used AI agents to directly attack its own software for several days without success, then turned to vulnerabilities in third-party commercial software Anthropic uses for daily office work and within less than 12 hours established a path into internal systems. Cathedral's draft report said it accessed meeting notes, employee salaries, offer letters, and Slack messages discussing advanced AI models. Anthropic confirmed that the researchers entered limited parts of sales, human resources and IT systems, including some customers' and partners' business contact information and basic account records, but that Claude conversations, model responses, source code and model weights were not touched; the company said its monitoring had flagged their activity before the report and that it had cut off access and closed the exposed path. Anthropic's Logan Graham corrected that the attack attempts actually lasted several days and involved two third-party vulnerabilities, one reported by the researchers and the other independently discovered by Anthropic.
Generated by AI from reports · Updated 5 hr ago
Latest developments
Progress timeline
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageИИ-агенты Cathedral взломали Anthropic и получили данные сотрудников(opens the original post in a new tab)
- RedditReddit r/artificial· DiscussionAnthropic got hacked again?(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageEx-DOGE staffers' startup says its AI agents hacked Anthropic | Tap to know more | Inshorts(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageИИ-агенты взломали Anthropic, компания подтвердила(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageMusk-linked startup says its AI agents hacked Anthropic(opens the original post in a new tab)
- ifeng.comSelectedAI startup Cathedral, founded by former DOGE members, says it breached Anthropic's internal systems within 12 hours
Cathedral, an AI startup founded by former DOGE members, disclosed to Anthropic that its researchers exploited a vulnerability in third-party commercial software to enter Anthropic's internal systems in under 12 hours. According to a draft report reviewed by The Washington Post, the testing was conducted by running AI agents under Anthropic's bug bounty program, and the accessed data involved meeting notes, salary and offer letter details, and Slack chat logs discussing advanced AI models. Anthropic confirmed that the researchers accessed limited portions of its sales, HR and IT systems, that it has closed the exposed access paths and notified federal officials, and that customer messages, model responses, AI system code and model weights were not touched. The two sides disagree on characterization: Anthropic accused Cathedral of exaggerating the national security impact and of not fully complying with the bounty program's rules; Cognition chief information security officer Alex Stamos believes the researchers did find a significant issue.
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageElon Musk-Linked Startup Says Its AI Agents Hacked Anthropic in Just Hours(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageAI startup founded by Ex-DOGE staff claims it hacked Anthropic in under 12 hours(opens the original post in a new tab)
- RedditReddit r/singularity· DiscussionEx-OpenAI researcher: "anthropic is massively underplaying the recent security breach. i'm hearing cathedral achieved full administrator access of the slack (see every message) where literally every single research secret is contained"(opens the original post in a new tab)
- RedditReddit r/AIDangers· DiscussionEx-OpenAI researcher: "anthropic is massively underplaying the recent security breach. i'm hearing cathedral achieved full administrator access of the slack (see every message) where literally every single research secret is contained"(opens the original post in a new tab)
- RedditReddit r/Anthropic· DiscussionEx-OpenAI researcher: "anthropic is massively underplaying the recent security breach. i'm hearing cathedral achieved full administrator access of the slack (see every message) where literally every single research secret is contained"(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageAI startup claims it hacked Anthropic in 12 hours, gains access to employee details and internal messages(opens the original post in a new tab)
- RedditReddit r/OpenAI· DiscussionEx-OpenAI researcher: "anthropic is massively underplaying the recent security breach. i'm hearing cathedral achieved full administrator access of the slack (see every message) where literally every single research secret is contained"(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageAI agents hacked Anthropic, maker of arguably the most capable AI models for cyberdefense(opens the original post in a new tab)
- The DecoderSelectedAI agents breach Anthropic's internal systems; the company is considered to have the strongest cyber-defense AI models
Cybersecurity startup Cathedral used AI agents to enter Anthropic's internal systems through third-party business software and disclosed the vulnerabilities it found through Anthropic's bug bounty program; a draft report reviewed by The Washington Post says the agents found a path to meeting records, payroll data and Slack messages in under 12 hours. Anthropic confirmed that researchers accessed some sales, human resources and IT systems, including some customer and partner contact information and basic account data, but that Claude conversations, source code and model weights were not exposed; the company closed the relevant access points the day it was discovered, disabled the third-party project and notified U.S. federal agencies. The two sides dispute the duration and scope of the incident; Anthropic accuses Cathedral of incomplete disclosure and of exceeding the safe harbor terms of the bug bounty program, while Cathedral says it followed standard security research practices.
- Le Monde InformatiqueSelectedAI agent accessed Anthropic internal data
Cathedral, a cybersecurity company founded by former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) members, says researchers used AI agents to find vulnerabilities in third-party software used by Anthropic in under 12 hours and gained access to some of its internal systems. According to its preliminary report, potentially accessible information includes meeting records, compensation data and Slack discussions involving Anthropic's advanced models. Anthropic said the researchers first spent several days attacking directly without success, then turned to a vulnerable third-party business application, and that the under-12-hours figure refers only to the successful phase; what was touched was a limited scope of business, human resources and IT systems, but users' conversations with Claude, model responses, source code and trained model parameters were not viewed, and the company cut off access the same day and disabled the relevant software. The two sides interpret it differently: Cathedral calls it a warning about the growing attack capabilities of AI, while Anthropic says it exaggerates national security implications and that not all activities were reported under the rules of its vulnerability disclosure program. Public information so far does not indicate that Anthropic's models were compromised.
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageAnthropic hacked by AI startup comprising former DOGE staff in just 12 hours(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WeChatDoonsec· Media coverageSupply chain security: AI broke into Anthropic in just 12 hours(opens the original post in a new tab)
- RedditReddit r/AIDangers· DiscussionAI startup hacks Anthropic in 12 hours, gains access to employee details and internal messages(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Era (Xinzhiyuan)· Media coverageAnthropic's internal systems breached by AI! All employee salaries exposed(opens the original post in a new tab)
- RedditReddit r/Anthropic· DiscussionAI startup hacks Anthropic in 12 hours, gains access to employee details and internal messages(opens the original post in a new tab)
- RedditReddit r/AIDangers· DiscussionAI startup hacks Anthropic in 12 hours, gains access to employee details and internal messages(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageFormer DOGE staffers say they just hacked Anthropic in less than 12 hours(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageFormer DOGE Staffers Use AI Agents to Breach Anthropic’s Internal Systems(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageAnthropic's internal system breached by AI! All employee salaries exposed-yeeyi(opens the original post in a new tab)
- UA.NEWSSelectedCybersecurity startup Cathedral gained access to Anthropic data in under 12 hours
US cybersecurity startup Cathedral, while permitted to test Anthropic's systems, gained access to some of Anthropic's internal data in under 12 hours through vulnerabilities in third-party commercial software. According to The Washington Post, researchers used AI agents to find ways into internal systems and obtained meeting notes, salary information, job offers, and Slack messages discussing advanced AI models. Anthropic confirmed that the access was limited to a limited set of sales, human resources, and information technology systems, said it had closed the access paths found and notified federal officials, and said Cathedral had previously spent several days trying to get into Anthropic's software. A senior Trump administration official said the report had circulated within the government, that such rapid access to sensitive systems raises concerns, and warned that similar weak points could be exploited by foreign intelligence agencies.
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageAnthropic hacked by AI startup in less than 12 hours(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WeChat · QbitAICathedral, founded by former members of Musk's DOGE, used an AI Agent to breach Anthropic's internal network in 12 hours during a bug bounty test
According to The Washington Post, Cathedral, an AI cybersecurity startup founded by former members of Musk's DOGE project, deployed its own AI Agent during Anthropic's bug bounty test. After several days of frontal assault on its own software failed, it pivoted to vulnerabilities in third-party commercial software used in Anthropic's daily office work, and within less than 12 hours opened a path into internal sensitive data and communication systems. Cathedral's draft report said the Agent saw meeting minutes, employee salaries and hiring offers, and also entered a Slack channel where employees discussed unreleased frontier models. Anthropic acknowledged that researchers accessed limited sales, HR and IT systems, but stressed that user Claude chat logs, source code and model weights were not touched, and accused Cathedral of exaggerating the impact and not fully complying with bounty rules, saying its monitoring system had detected anomalies before the report was submitted, cut off access that day and disabled the software involved. Cathedral denied violations, saying data access was limited to the minimum necessary for security research. The company, founded only months ago, has raised $160 million at a $1.4 billion valuation.
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageEx-DOGE Researchers Used AI to Breach Anthropic Systems in Under 12 Hours: Slack Was at Risk(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WeChat · AI Era (Xinzhiyuan)SelectedCathedral used an AI agent to breach Anthropic's internal systems in under 12 hours during an authorized security test
In a security test authorized by Anthropic, cybersecurity startup Cathedral used an AI agent to breach its internal systems in under 12 hours, reaching sales, HR and IT systems. According to a draft report reviewed by The Washington Post, the data accessed included meeting transcripts, compensation and hiring details, and internal Slack messages; Anthropic confirmed that limited data was accessed but said messages customers sent to Claude, core code and model weights were not touched. The entry point was a vulnerability in third-party enterprise software, and Cathedral warned that weaknesses in ordinary enterprise software can endanger the infrastructure of even the most advanced organizations. Anthropic said its monitoring systems detected the anomaly that day and cut off access, and accused Cathedral of exaggerating the national security implications of these findings; the report is circulating among senior U.S. government officials.
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageAnthropic's internal systems breached by AI! All employee salaries exposed(opens the original post in a new tab)
- X@GKev1n· DiscussionIn Chinese, as writtenAnthropic 这波属实是社死到家了哈哈哈哈！怎么 A 社也是草台班子啊？ 昨晚还在看 Anthropic 招股书里吹什么“灾难性风险”，今天《华盛顿邮报》就爆出来，前 DOGE 人员开的 Cathedral 用 AI 智能体搞授权…(opens the original post in a new tab)
- X@Wbackdown· Discussion@kman62 What kind of vendor flaws let the agents in?(opens the original post in a new tab)
- X @logangrahamSelectedAnthropic responds to a former DOGE network researcher using an AI Agent to penetrate its systems, saying the attack lasted several days and did not reach model weights
A former DOGE network researcher used an AI Agent to penetrate Anthropic's systems, and Anthropic's Logan Graham posted to correct media reports and explain the scope of impact. According to The Washington Post, the whole process took less than 12 hours and involved a Slack channel discussing the most sensitive models; Graham corrected that the attack attempts lasted several days, and that the attacker exploited two third-party vulnerabilities, one reported by the researcher and the other independently discovered by Anthropic, which cut off access. He said the most sensitive systems, including model weights and Claude conversations, were not touched, and that the matter fell outside the company's safe harbor policy because it involved exploiting third parties and accessing data, but Anthropic thanked those who found the issues. Graham believes this foreshadows the future of cybersecurity, in which adversaries will use AI Agents to attack everything including dependencies around the clock, and that models about 0.5-1 generation behind the current frontier can already do this; in response he recommends continuous red teaming and redesigning software systems to fundamentally reduce exposure surface.
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageCiberataque a Anthropic: la creadora de Claude sufrió un hackeo en sus sistemas internos(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageEx-DOGE staffers' startup hacked Anthropic's sy...(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageAnthropic Breach: AI Startup Cracks Systems in Just 12 Hours(opens the original post in a new tab)
- RedditReddit r/Anthropic· DiscussionFormer DOGE Staffers' New Startup Claims It Hacked Anthropic(opens the original post in a new tab)
- GizmodoStartup Cathedral, founded by former DOGE staffers, claims to have breached Anthropic's internal systems
Cathedral, an AI cybersecurity startup founded by former DOGE staffers, claims in a draft report reviewed by The Washington Post that its AI agent used vulnerabilities in third-party commercial software to enter Anthropic's internal systems and, in under 12 hours, found access paths to sensitive information including meeting notes, salaries, offer letters and Slack messages, and that it notified Anthropic. Anthropic confirmed that researchers entered a “limited portion” of its sales, human resources and IT systems, including customer and partner business contact information and some basic user account records, but said Claude user conversations, source code and model weights were not accessed. The operation was part of Anthropic's security testing program that rewards vulnerability researchers, and Anthropic accused Cathedral of failing to disclose the full scope of its activity and violating program rules. According to a senior Trump administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity, the matter has raised national security concerns in Washington.
- India TodaySelectedAI startup breaches Anthropic in 12 hours during security testing, obtaining employee information and internal messages
In Anthropic's security testing for external researchers, the security startup Cathedral used an AI agent to find weaknesses in its business software in under 12 hours, reaching employee information, salaries, offer letters and internal messages discussing advanced AI models. Anthropic confirmed that the other party accessed some sales, human resources and IT systems, including some customers' and partners' business contact details and basic account records, but could not access Claude conversations, model responses, source code or model weights. Anthropic said monitoring had flagged some of the other party's activity before it was reported and cut off access the same day, found no evidence that anyone else exploited these vulnerabilities, and accused Cathedral of exaggerating the national security impact and failing to disclose all of its testing activity; Cathedral said data access was kept to the minimum necessary. A senior Trump administration official told The Washington Post that a related draft report was circulating within the government.
- X @themidasprojSelectedIn 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.
- Date not givenAI Incident DatabaseSelectedHow an AI startup founded by former DOGE staffers broke into Anthropic
Researchers at cybersecurity startup Cathedral exploited a vulnerability in third-party enterprise software used by Anthropic to enter its internal sales, HR and IT systems and access sensitive data; Anthropic said it cut off access the same day. According to Cathedral's report, researchers running AI agents found a path in under 12 hours and accessed meeting records, salary and hiring information, and Slack messages discussing its models. Anthropic said only a small subset of systems was accessed, and the researchers were unable to reach messages users sent to models, model responses, or model code or weights; company monitoring had already detected some activity before the report, and access was shut down the same day. Anthropic said there is no evidence anyone other than Cathedral exploited these vulnerabilities, has disabled the relevant enterprise software, and re-enabled it after the vendor confirmed a fix. Cathedral disclosed the findings through Anthropic's bug bounty program, and Anthropic has notified federal officials.
Related discussion
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)ИИ-агенты Cathedral взломали Anthropic и получили данные сотрудников(opens the original post in a new tab)
- RedditReddit r/artificialAnthropic got hacked again?(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)Ex-DOGE staffers' startup says its AI agents hacked Anthropic | Tap to know more | Inshorts(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)ИИ-агенты взломали Anthropic, компания подтвердила(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)Musk-linked startup says its AI agents hacked Anthropic(opens the original post in a new tab)
- X@jackcorleone19 · corleone jackThe entry point for this Anthropic breach was not the model, but third-party sales/HR software. The security company Cathedral went through Anthropic's own bug bounty and said that using an AI Agent, it reached meeting notes, salaries and Slack messages in under 12 hours. Anth…(opens the original post in a new tab)
1 comments·Oct 29 21:33Collect
- X@riven_zhou · AI实战与出海｜RivenWhat Anthropic got hit this time was not Claude, but the third-party business software the company uses every day. According to an October 26 report by The Washington Post, Cathedral said its AI agents, in less than 12 hours, found a way into Anth… through external sales and administrative tools.(opens the original post in a new tab)
1 comments·Oct 29 09:33Collect
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)Elon Musk-Linked Startup Says Its AI Agents Hacked Anthropic in Just Hours(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebFuturismElon Musk-Linked Startup Says Its AI Agents Hacked Anthropic in Just Hours(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)AI startup founded by Ex-DOGE staff claims it hacked Anthropic in under 12 hours(opens the original post in a new tab)
- RedditReddit r/singularityEx-OpenAI researcher: "anthropic is massively underplaying the recent security breach. i'm hearing cathedral achieved full administrator access of the slack (see every message) where literally every single research secret is contained"(opens the original post in a new tab)
- RedditReddit r/AIDangersEx-OpenAI researcher: "anthropic is massively underplaying the recent security breach. i'm hearing cathedral achieved full administrator access of the slack (see every message) where literally every single research secret is contained"(opens the original post in a new tab)
Attention trend
New sources per day
- Oct 26: 21 new sources (3 outlets, 18 accounts)
- Oct 27: 56 new sources (5 outlets, 51 accounts)
- Oct 28: 14 new sources (6 outlets, 8 accounts)
- Oct 29: 5 new sources (2 outlets, 3 accounts)
- Oct 30: 2 new sources (1 outlets, 1 accounts)