AI could enable destructive cyberattacks within months

Intelligence agencies from the Five Eyes alliance have warned that artificial intelligence systems capable of enabling highly destructive cyberattacks on governments and businesses could emerge within months, urging urgent action from policymakers and industry leaders.

The joint alert — issued by signals intelligence agencies in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada — represents a rare public intervention highlighting escalating concerns over rapidly advancing AI capabilities, Caliber.Az reports, citing The Guardian.

The statement comes after the Trump administration recently moved to restrict “foreign nationals” from accessing a high-profile AI model developed by Anthropic known as Fable.

According to the agencies, while AI will ultimately strengthen cyber defence capabilities, it is also accelerating the speed, scale, and sophistication of cyber threats.

“Frontier AI models are anticipated to exceed current industry expectations, fundamentally transforming both offensive and defensive cyber capabilities. The timeline is not years, it is months,” the Five Eyes statement said.

It added that in the current environment, cyber resilience has become essential to business continuity, market confidence, and long-term economic stability.

Officials warned that advanced AI systems are lowering the technical barriers for malicious actors, enabling more complex and rapid cyberattacks. They stressed that a coordinated response across governments, industries, and society is now required.

“A whole-of-organisation and whole-of-society response is required,” the statement said. “Cyber risk can no longer be treated as a purely technical issue. This is a core business risk and leadership responsibility.”

Experts note that modern generative AI tools can be used both defensively and offensively — including identifying vulnerabilities in cybersecurity systems and potentially exploiting them.

“What’s different about the latest [AI models] ones is they’re very good at generating exploits,” said Olivia Shen of the University of Sydney’s United States Studies Centre.

Although the Five Eyes statement did not name specific systems, attention has focused on Anthropic’s advanced AI tools, including its latest model reportedly known as Fable 5, a more controlled version of its earlier system “Mythos,” which is currently restricted to vetted users due to security concerns.

Both models were reportedly restricted for foreign nationals by the US government in June, following national security assessments.

Shen noted that further breakthroughs may already be in development, warning that similar or more advanced systems could appear soon.

“I think we have to anticipate that the next Mythos or the next Fable is just around the corner,” she said.

She also added that advanced AI development is not limited to Western firms, suggesting that comparable systems may be emerging from China or other state and non-state actors.

Separately, in March, the Albanese government signed Anthropic as the first company under Australia’s national AI framework, establishing a non-binding agreement focused on safety cooperation and information sharing.

Australia’s broader national strategy continues to adopt a relatively light regulatory approach to AI in order to encourage innovation and economic growth while balancing safety considerations.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov