Anthropic launches Cyber Mission to defend power grids and open-source code

Operational Technology and Open-Source Software

The Anthropic Cyber Mission concentrates on two areas: operational technology and open-source software. The first area, operational technology, covers power grids, water systems, and transportation networks. These systems are difficult to secure due to the fact that they cannot be taken offline for patching, making the process of verifying and fixing a vulnerability much more burdensome than updating a laptop.

The OSS Scanner and Vulnerability Assessments

The second front is open-source software, which is the freely shared code that underpins a huge share of the world's applications. The OSS Scanner offers automated vulnerability assessments to maintainers of eligible open-source projects, with a projected true-positive rate exceeding 90%.

Partners and Resources

Anthropic is backing the mission with real resources. The company has committed $100 million in usage credits through Project Glasswing. It has also donated $4 million to various organizations, including OpenSSF and the Apache Software Foundation. The Critical Infrastructure Defense Program has 11 founding partners, including Accenture, Deloitte, and CrowdStrike.

Access Controls and Verification

The access controls designed for the tools are the piece to watch. Tools strong enough to find serious vulnerabilities are, by definition, tools an attacker would love to have. Anthropic is betting that the same technology fueling offensive cyber operations can tilt the balance back toward defenders.