Berk Kutay Gökmen
27 October 2026•Update: 27 October 2026
A cybersecurity startup gained access to sensitive internal data at artificial intelligence company Anthropic in less than 12 hours, according to a report by The Washington Post .
Cathedral, a months-old startup founded by former members of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), identified vulnerabilities in third-party business software used by Anthropic, the maker of the Claude chatbot, according to a draft report reviewed by the newspaper.
The researchers used AI agents to find pathways into Anthropic’s internal systems, gaining access to meeting transcripts, salary and job offer details, and Slack messages discussing advanced AI models, the report said.
The testing was conducted under a program that allows outside cybersecurity researchers to probe Anthropic’s systems for vulnerabilities.
Anthropic confirmed that Cathedral accessed a “limited set” of its sales, human resources and IT systems.
The company said it had closed the exposed pathways and briefed federal officials about the incident.
An Anthropic spokesperson said Cathedral had spent several days attempting to breach the company’s own software before turning to third-party business tools.
A senior Trump administration official reportedly said the report had circulated within the government and prompted concern over the speed with which the startup accessed sensitive systems.
The official warned that the findings raised questions about whether foreign intelligence agencies could exploit similar weaknesses.
