Anthropic, the company that built its brand on AI safety, now has approximately six engineers sitting inside the National Security Agency helping deploy an AI model designed for offensive cyber operations. The model is called Mythos, and it is already running on classified networks.
Here’s the thing: the Department of Defense, which oversees the NSA, classified Anthropic as a “supply chain risk” as of March 2026 and has been pursuing legal action against the company. The agency is simultaneously relying on Anthropic’s personnel to operate one of its most advanced cyber tools.
What Mythos actually does
Mythos was first introduced to a limited group in April 2026. It is an AI system purpose-built for finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities.
Early NSA testing has focused on identifying flaws in Microsoft products. Mythos can find security holes in widely used software faster than human analysts can.
