April 20 (Reuters) - Anthropic earlier this month

debuted Mythos, its most advanced AI model to date, equipped

with sophisticated capabilities and designed for defensive

cybersecurity tasks.

Mythos' vast capabilities have sparked fears about the

threat to traditional software security after the AI startup

said the preview had uncovered "thousands" of major

vulnerabilities in "every major operating system and web

browser."

HOW WAS THE MODEL LAUNCHED AND WHO HAD ACCESS TO IT?

Anthropic has rolled out Claude Mythos Preview through a

controlled initiative called "Project Glasswing", granting

access to tech majors including Amazon ( AMZN ), Microsoft ( MSFT )

, Nvidia ( NVDA ) and Apple ( AAPL ).

The company also extended access to a group of more than 40

additional organizations that build or maintain critical

software infrastructure.

WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS AROUND MYTHOS?

Experts warned that the model can identify and exploit

previously unknown vulnerabilities faster than companies can

repair them.

Its advanced coding and autonomous capabilities could

dramatically accelerate sophisticated cyberattacks, particularly

in sectors such as banking that rely on complex, interconnected

and often decades-old technology systems, they have said.

While debuting Mythos, Anthropic said the model's ability to

find software flaws at scale could, if misused, pose serious

risks to economies, public safety and national security.

U.S. software stocks tumbled on April 9 after the Mythos

launch on April 7 reignited fears that advances in AI could

disrupt traditional firms.

WHAT HAS THE WHITE HOUSE AND REGULATORS SAID ABOUT MYTHOS?

The White House has held discussions with Anthropic CEO

Dario Amodei about Mythos, with officials saying they talked

about collaboration, cybersecurity and balancing AI innovation

with safety. The talks were held despite the Pentagon slapping a

formal supply-chain risk designation on Anthropic.

The U.S. government is planning to make a version of Mythos

available to major federal ​agencies, ‌Bloomberg News has

reported.

Reuters reported that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell held a meeting with CEOs

of major U.S. banks to brief them on the potential risks from

the model.

The model also raised alarm bells in Britain, with

authorities holding talks with major banks and cybersecurity

officials to assess possible risks.

Banks are in close contact with their European regulators

regarding Mythos, Christian Sewing, president of the German

banking association and CEO of Deutsche Bank, said.

(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru)