Japan Forms Task Force to Combat Mythos AI Cybersecurity Risks in Financial System

Japan Finance Minister to Meet Banks to Discuss Mythos Threat

Japan's Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama plans to meet the country's biggest banks and other financial institutions to discuss Anthropic PBC's latest AI model Mythos as early as this week, people familiar with the matter said. Katayama is set to talk with a group of financial institutions including the country's biggest lenders Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. and Mizuho Financial Group Inc., the people said, asking not to be named discussing information before an announcement. The move comes as regulators and financial industry officials across the world respond to the evolving cybersecurity vulnerabilities exposed by Mythos, which has so far been given only a limited release. Watchdogs in Asia are stepping up scrutiny of risks in their financial systems, urging lenders to plug holes in their defenses against cyber threats. Japan's Financial Services Agency declined to comment about the planned meeting. Asia Regulators Raise Scrutiny on Banks Amid Mythos AI Fears Anthropic's Mythos Model Is Being Accessed by Unauthorized Users Why Anthropic Won't Release Mythos to the Public: Explainer

Japan launches financial task force amid AI security fears

TOKYO, April 24 (Reuters) - Japan will set up a task force to address cybersecurity risks in its financial system following concerns about potential vulnerabilities linked to Anthropic's Mythos AI model, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said on Friday. The decision was agreed at a meeting involving the Financial Services Agency, the Bank of Japan, the National Cybersecurity Office, the country's top three banks and ⁠Japan Exchange Group (8697.T), opens new tab, Katayama told reporters. "I told the meeting that this is a crisis that is already at hand, and similar concerns were also voiced by the financial industry," she said. Concerns have intensified after Anthropic said a preview of Mythos uncovered "thousands" of major vulnerabilities across every major operating system and web browser, raising fears about the resilience of traditional software security. Experts ⁠warn the model can identify and exploit previously unknown vulnerabilities faster than companies can repair them, accelerating cyberattacks in sectors such as banking that rely on complex, interconnected and often decades-old technology. Regulators ⁠elsewhere in Asia, Europe and the United States have warned banks to review defences and preparedness. To date, there have been no reported breaches ⁠related to the model. Katayama said the financial system's high level of interconnectedness and real-time operations mean that problems can ⁠spread more rapidly than in other sectors. "Because of this, a cyberattack can immediately spill over into market disruptions and undermine confidence." Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Sam Holmes Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Japan finance minister to meet banks to discuss Mythos AI model, Bloomberg News reports

April 21 (Reuters) - Japan's Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama plans to meet the country's biggest banks and other financial institutions as early as this week to discuss Anthropic PBC's latest AI model Mythos, Bloomberg News reported on ⁠Tuesday citing people familiar with the matter. Katayama is set to talk with a group of financial institutions including the country's biggest lenders Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (8306.T), opens new tab, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (8316.T), opens new tab and ⁠Mizuho Financial Group Inc (8411.T), opens new tab, Bloomberg News said. The report has not specified what the discussions entail. Mythos is ⁠a powerful AI model that has sparked concerns among regulators about its ⁠unprecedented ability to identify digital security vulnerabilities and potential for ⁠misuse. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Reporting by Disha Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Japan's financial watchdog to meet top banks to discuss Mythos AI model

Japan's financial regulator will meet with major banks on Friday. The discussion will focus on Anthropic's advanced AI model, Mythos. This AI is designed for cybersecurity. Concerns exist about its impact on traditional software security. Other Asian regulators are also addressing these risks. Japan's financial watchdog will meet with the country's biggest lenders on Friday to discuss issues related to Anthropic's advanced Mythos artificial intelligence model, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said on Wednesday. The meeting, ⁠set ⁠up by the Financial Services Agency, will bring together top lenders Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc and Mizuho Financial Group Inc. The Bank of Japan and the Tokyo Stock Exchange ⁠will also join the meeting, Katayama told reporters. "We will bring together the core members ⁠who bear the greatest responsibility to share assessments of the current situation and exchange views, including issues that have been flagged in various parts of the international financial community," she said. Designed for defensive cybersecurity tasks, Mythos' vast capabilities have sparked fears about the threat to traditional software security, after Anthropic said a preview ⁠had uncovered "thousands" of major vulnerabilities in "every major operating system and web browser." Some Asian financial regulators said this week they were taking measures to address the risks posed by Mythos..

Japan finance minister to discuss Mythos threat with banks

Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama plans to meet with leaders from the country's biggest banks and other financial institutions to discuss Anthropic's latest AI model Mythos as early as this week, people familiar with the matter said. Katayama is set to talk with a group of financial institutions including the country's biggest lenders Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group, the people said, asking not to be named discussing information before an announcement. The move comes as regulators and financial industry officials across the world respond to the evolving cybersecurity vulnerabilities exposed by Mythos, which has so far been given only a limited release. Watchdogs in Asia are stepping up scrutiny of risks in their financial systems, urging lenders to plug holes in their defenses against cyber threats. Japan's Financial Services Agency declined to comment about the planned meeting.

Japan launches financial task force amid AI security fears

TOKYO, April 24 (Reuters) - Japan will set up a task force to address cybersecurity risks in its financial system following concerns about potential vulnerabilities linked to Anthropic's Mythos AI model, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said on Friday. The decision was agreed at a meeting involving the Financial Services Agency, the Bank of Japan, the National Cybersecurity Office, the country's top three banks and Japan Exchange Group, Katayama told reporters. "I told the meeting that this is a crisis that is already at hand, and similar concerns were also voiced by the financial industry," she said. Concerns have intensified after Anthropic said a preview of Mythos uncovered "thousands" of major vulnerabilities across every major operating system and web browser, raising fears about the resilience of traditional software security. Experts warn the model can identify and exploit previously unknown vulnerabilities faster than companies can repair them, accelerating cyberattacks in sectors such as banking that rely on complex, interconnected and often decades-old technology. Regulators elsewhere in Asia, Europe and the United States have warned banks to review defences and preparedness. To date, there have been no reported breaches related to the model. Katayama said the financial system's high level of interconnectedness and real-time operations mean that problems can spread more rapidly than in other sectors. "Because of this, a cyberattack can immediately spill over into market disruptions and undermine confidence." (Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Sam Holmes)