Fed and Treasury Summon Big Bank CEOs Over Anthropic Mythos AI Cyber Risks Amid Pentagon Blacklist Fight
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell held a last‑minute, in‑person emergency meeting at Treasury headquarters in Washington, D.C., summoning CEOs of Fed‑designated “structurally important” banks — including Bank of America’s Brian Moynihan and leaders from Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo — while JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon was invited but did not attend. The meeting focused on cyber risks from Anthropic’s Claude Mythos Preview, which the company says can outperform most humans at finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities and has exposed thousands of flaws, against the backdrop of a collapsed $200 million Pentagon contract, the Pentagon’s supply‑chain risk designation and a recent failed appeals challenge by Anthropic.
📌 Key Facts
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell convened a last‑minute, in‑person emergency meeting Tuesday at Treasury headquarters in Washington, D.C., summoning Wall Street CEOs over cyber risks posed by Anthropic’s Mythos AI amid the Pentagon’s supply‑chain blacklist dispute.
- Every bank summoned to the meeting is designated by the Fed as “structurally important” to the global financial system.
- Attendees included Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan and leaders from Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo; JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon was invited but did not attend.
- Anthropic says its Claude Mythos Preview model can outperform all but the most skilled humans at finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities and has uncovered thousands of previously unknown flaws, including decades‑old bugs at firms considered security strongholds.
- Anthropic previously held a $200 million Pentagon contract that collapsed after the company refused to support autonomous weapons and domestic surveillance; War Secretary Pete Hegseth subsequently labeled Anthropic a supply‑chain risk and barred federal contractors from using its products.
- Anthropic has briefed senior U.S. government officials on Mythos’s risks, and a federal appeals court recently rejected Anthropic’s attempt to block the Pentagon’s supply‑chain‑risk designation.
📊 Relevant Data
45% of organizations in the global financial sector experienced AI-powered cyberattacks in 2025.
Fintech Cybersecurity: Fortifying Digital Finance in 2026 — East Carolina Credit Union
89% increase in attacks from AI-enabled adversaries reported in the 2026 Global Threat Report.
2026 Global Threat Report | Latest Cybersecurity Trends & Insights — CrowdStrike
Minorities and women in the United States are more likely to be victims of cybercrime, according to a 2026 report.
Report: Minorities and Women are More Likely Victims of Cyber Crime — Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)
80% of tested banking applications were vulnerable to cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, allowing cybercriminals to run malicious code.
5 Cybersecurity Weaknesses in Banking and Finance — Swivel Secure
Application vulnerabilities and misconfigurations are key factors enabling attackers to exploit consumer software in fast payment systems, according to a 2025 World Bank report.
CYBER RISKS IN FAST PAYMENT SYSTEMS — World Bank
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Specifies that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Fed Chair Jerome Powell called a last‑minute, in‑person meeting Tuesday at Treasury headquarters in Washington, D.C., and that every bank summoned is designated by the Fed as 'structurally important' to the global financial system.
- Names additional CEOs and institutions involved, including Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan’s confirmed attendance, plus Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo, and clarifies that JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon was invited but did not attend.
- Details Anthropic’s own public claims that its Claude Mythos Preview model can outperform all but the most skilled humans at finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities and has already uncovered thousands of previously unknown flaws, including decades‑old bugs at firms seen as security strongholds.
- Adds background that Anthropic previously held a $200 million Pentagon contract that collapsed after the company refused to support autonomous weapons and domestic surveillance, prompting War Secretary Pete Hegseth to label Anthropic a supply‑chain risk and bar federal contractors from using its products.
- Notes that Anthropic has briefed senior U.S. government officials on Mythos’ risks and that a federal appeals court has just rejected Anthropic’s attempt to block the Pentagon’s supply‑chain‑risk designation.