Anthropic Reveals Hacker Used Its Chatbot for Cyberattacks

The AI company Anthropic released a new cybersecurity report on Wednesday, revealing that malicious actors have used its AI model, Claude, for sophisticated criminal operations. The startup said that one hacker recently targeted around 17 organizations, leveraging a new technique known as “vibe hacking.”

According to Anthropic’s announcement, the company has implemented several security measures to prevent misuse of the technology, but cybercriminals have found ways to exploit it.

In one of the cases reported, the startup disclosed a major criminal operation in which a hacker, with basic coding skills, used Claude Code—an agentic coding tool—to carry out a fraudulent scheme originating from North Korea.

“AI models are now being used to perform sophisticated cyberattacks, not just advise on how to carry them out,” states the announcement. “Criminals with few technical skills are using AI to conduct complex operations, such as developing ransomware, that would previously have required years of training.”

In the main case presented, the hacker used Claude Code to steal data from 17 organizations, including emergency services, government agencies, healthcare providers, and religious institutions. The malicious actor then extorted victims, in some cases demanding over $500,000.

Anthropic reported that its AI agent was used to decide what data to exfiltrate, draft extortion messages, and even suggest ransom amounts tailored to each victim.

“The actor used AI to what we believe is an unprecedented degree,” states the announcement. “This represents an evolution in AI-assisted cybercrime.”

The company said that as soon as it detected the malicious operations, it blocked the accounts and developed new screening and detection tools to prevent similar cases in the future. More details were included in the full report.

Anthropic also warned about emerging “vibe hacking” techniques. “We expect attacks like this to become more common as AI-assisted coding reduces the technical expertise required for cybercrime,” noted the company.

Finally, Anthropic highlighted the growing integration of AI into existing cyber schemes, citing examples such as the North Korean IT workers scam reported in April, in which hackers stole the identities of American citizens to secure remote jobs in the United States.