Shares of Tenable Holdings (TENB 0.85%), a cybersecurity company, were falling hard this morning after a leaked Anthropic blog post claimed that a yet-to-be-released Claude model has advanced capabilities that could surpass current cybersecurity capabilities.
That is, of course, a bit unsettling for any company trying to protect data, but it's especially worrying for Tenable and other cybersecurity stocks. Tenable stock plunged on the news and is down 8.5% as of 11:31 a.m. ET.
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AI security risks are real
A Fortune article broke the news that Anthropic accidentally revealed details about its next in-development AI model, reportedly called Claude Mythos. In an unpublished Anthropic blog post discovered by Fortune, the AI company says that Mythos could pose serious cybersecurity risks.
The blog discussed a new tier of AI models called Capybara that score higher on tests of cybersecurity and coding, making it the company's most advanced model to date.
Of particular importance to Tenable investors is the fact that Anthroic believes the new model could pose serious security threats and said in the draft post that it's "currently far ahead of any other AI model in cyber capabilities" and can "exploit vulnerabilities in ways that far outpace the efforts of defenders."
Anthropic is reportedly giving some cybersecurity companies early access to the new AI model so they can prepare for it.
NASDAQ: TENB
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Uncertainty ahead
There's been a lot of hand-wringing among investors lately over cybersecurity stocks and whether AI will be a major disruptor of their businesses. I think there's an argument to be made that Tenable and other cybersecurity companies offer specialized solutions that companies will continue to need in the AI age, and potentially even more so as AI models become more advanced.
But it's also clear that advanced AI models, including a newer version of Claude, could make it harder for cybersecurity companies to keep pace with threats. As such, Tenable shareholders shouldn't panic sell, but should keep a close eye on this space as it evolves.
