NSA Uses Anthropic's Mythos AI Tool Despite Pentagon Supply-Chain Restrictions

Gate News message, April 19 — The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) is using Anthropic’s Mythos Preview AI tool despite a Pentagon supply-chain risk designation against the company, according to Axios. The model is being deployed more widely within the agency.

On April 14, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent an email to Cabinet officials stating it is establishing safeguards to enable major federal agencies to access Mythos, though no timeline was provided. The move reflects a divide within the U.S. government: intelligence and civilian agencies seek the tool for defensive cybersecurity purposes, while the Pentagon has restricted Anthropic over supply-chain concerns.

Mythos can independently discover and exploit software vulnerabilities, raising global concern about cyber risks to financial systems. At International Monetary Fund meetings, finance ministers and central bankers discussed the model as a potential threat to global financial system resilience. The U.S. Treasury has urged major banks to test their systems against Mythos, and both Barclays’ CEO and the Bank of England governor have publicly addressed risks and vulnerabilities associated with the model.