Chinese hackers abuse Anthropic's AI model Claude

Anthropic announced that Chinese hackers used the AI model Claude to automate about 30 attacks against companies and governments during a campaign in September (according to a report by the Wall Street Journal).

Anthropic said that up to 80% to 90% of the attack was automated with AI, a level higher than previous attacks. It happened “literally at the push of a button and then with minimal human interaction,” said Jacob Klein, an Anthropic executive. He added: “The human was only involved at a few critical points, saying, ‘Yes, continue,’ ‘Don’t continue,’ ‘Thanks for that information,’ ‘Oh, that doesn’t look right, Claude, are you sure?’”

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Cyberattacks using AI are increasing – Abuse of Anthropic Claude

AI-assisted hacking is becoming increasingly common. Google has identified Russian hackers using large-language models to generate commands for their malware, according to a report the company released on November 5.

Now, Anthropic is reporting that Chinese hackers are abusing Claude. For years, the U.S. government has warned that China was using artificial intelligence to steal data from American citizens and companies, a claim China denies. Anthropic told the Journal that it is certain that the hackers were funded by the Chinese government. In this campaign, the attackers stole sensitive data from four victims, but as with previous attacks, Anthropic did not disclose the names of the targets. The company said the U.S. government was not a successful target.

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The use of artificial intelligence in cyberattacks is now an ever-evolving reality. Hackers, whether supported by governments or not, are exploiting the capabilities of AI to enhance their attacks , making them more effective and difficult to detect. The automation of attacks means they can be carried out on a larger scale and with greater speed, which increases the threat to businesses and governments worldwide.

Anthropic, as a company that develops AI models, is at the center of this debate, as its tools are being used for purposes they were not originally intended. The responsibility to prevent the malicious use of technology is an issue that concerns not only technology companies but also governments and international organizations.

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The Anthropic case highlights the need for stricter regulation and monitoring of the use of AI, as well as for the development of new security strategies that can address the challenges posed by artificial intelligence in the cybersecurity sector. Collaboration between governments, businesses and security experts is essential to ensure that the technology is used for good and not to cause harm.