Major chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT-5, Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude are usually making headlines for their latest updates. But this week has been different.
First OpenAI is under fire for safety concerns and now a new report from Anthropic states, a hacker used the AI coding assistant to automate nearly every step of a massive cybercrime spree, and it’s being called "unprecedented."
The operation targeted at least 17 organizations across healthcare, government, emergency services and even religious institutions.
Using Claude Code, Anthropic’s AI-powered coding tool, the attacker handled everything from scanning for vulnerabilities to writing ransomware, calculating ransom demands and even drafting polished extortion emails.
How the hacker pulled it off
Anthropic’s report describes the threat actor — tracked as GTG-5004 — using Claude to effectively outsource the entire attack. Tasks that once required deep technical skills are now being handled by AI in minutes.
Here’s what the hacker did:
- Reconnaissance: Claude helped identify weak systems and exploitable entry points.
- Malware creation: The AI generated malicious code and packaged it into ransomware kits.
- Extortion set up: It drafted ransom notes and handled cryptocurrency payment calculations.
- Automation at scale: The system streamlined attacks across multiple targets simultaneously.
At one point, ransom demands exceeded $500,000, Anthropic confirmed.
What makes this incident different
Cybercriminals have been using automation for years, but this case shows how AI is lowering the barrier to entry for sophisticated attacks. You no longer need elite hacking skills to pull off large-scale breaches; coding skills are no longer required either when you have the right AI tool.
This also means the phishing emails, ransomware demands and scams hitting your inbox are getting smarter, more polished and harder to detect. A fake email generated by AI can look virtually identical to one from your bank, workplace or even a trusted family member.
What Anthropic is doing about it
Anthropic says it has shut down the accounts involved and rolled out new safeguards to prevent this kind of misuse in the future. The company also deployed detection tools and shared indicators of compromise with cybersecurity authorities.
But many industry voices warn this may just be the beginning. As advanced AI tools become even more sophisticated and more accessible, we will undoubtedly see more incidents like this one; and they’ll be faster, more scalable and far harder to stop.
How to protect yourself
While businesses are the primary targets in this case, you should still take extra precautions:
- Stay skeptical of emails and links; especially those asking for personal info or payments.
- Use strong, unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication wherever possible.
- Keep your devices updated to patch security vulnerabilities.
- Watch for 'too good to be true' deals or unexpected login prompts, as many are AI-generated scams.
AI is making hackers more productive
This attack highlights a new reality: AI isn’t just helping us work smarter — it’s helping hackers get smarter too. What Anthropic flagged as an “unprecedented” incident today could soon become the norm as more cybercriminals turn to AI for speed and scale.
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