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In a new report, AI company Anthropic detailed a highly sophisticated espionage campaign that deployed its artificial intelligence tools to launch automated cyberattacks around the globe. The attackers aimed high, targeting government agencies, Big Tech companies, banks, and chemical companies, and succeeded in a small number of cases, according to Anthropic. The company says that its research links the hacking operation to the Chinese government. The company claims that the findings are a watershed moment for the industry, marking the first instance of a cyber espionage scheme carried out by AI. We believe this is the first documented case of a large-scale cyberattack executed without substantial human intervention, Anthropic wrote in a blog post. Fast Company has reached out to Chinas embassy in D.C. for comment about the report. Anthropic says that it first detected the suspicious use of its products in mid-September and conducted an investigation to uncover the scope of the operation. The attacks werent fully autonomoushumans were involved to set them in motionbut they manipulated Anthropics Claude Code tool, a version of the AI assistant designed for developers, to execute complex pieces of the campaign. Tricking Claude into doing crime To get around Claudes built-in safety guardrails, the hackers worked to jailbreak the AI model, basically tricking it into doing smaller, benign-seeming tasks without the broader context of their application. The attackers also told the AI tool that they were working in a defensive capacity for a legitimate cyber firm to persuade the model to let down its defenses. After bending Claude to their will, the attackers set the AI assistant to work analyzing its targets, identifying high-value databases and writing code to exploit weaknesses it found in their targets systems and infrastructure. The framework was able to use Claude to harvest credentials (usernames and passwords) that allowed it further access and then to extract a large amount of private data, which it categorized according to its intelligence value, Anthropic wrote. The highest-privilege accounts were identified, backdoors were created, and data were exfiltrated with minimal human supervision. In the last phase, the attackers directed Claude to document their actions, producing files including stolen credentials and the systems that were analyzed, which they could build on in future attacks. The company estimates that at least 80% of the operation was carried out autonomously, without a human directing it. Anthropic noted in its report that much like it does with less malicious tasks, the AI generated errors during the cyberattack, making false claims about harvesting secret info and even hallucinating some of the logins it produced. Even with some errors, an agentic AI thats right most of the time can point itself at a lot of targets, quickly create and execute exploits, and do a lot of damage in the process. AI on the attack The new report from Anthropic isnt the first time that an AI company has discovered its tools being misused in elaborate hacking schemes. Its not even a first for Anthropic. In August, the company detailed a handful of cybercrime schemes using its Claude AI tools, including new developments in a long-running employment scam to get North Korean operatives hired into remote positions at American tech companies. In another recent cybercrime incident, a now-banned user turned to Anthropics Claude assistant to create and sell ransomware packages online to other cybercriminals for up to $1,200 each. The growth of AI-enhanced fraud and cybercrime is particularly concerning to us, and we plan to prioritize further research in this area, Anthropic said in the report. The new attack is noteworthy both for its links to China and for its use of agentic AI AI that can execute complex tasks on its own once set in motion. The ability to work from start to finish with less oversight means these tools work more like humans do, pursuing a goal and completing smaller steps to get there in the process. The appeal of an autonomous system that can pull off detailed analysis and even write code at scale has obvious appeal in the world of cybercrime. A fundamental change has occurred in cybersecurity, Anthropic wrote in its report. …The techniques described above will doubtless be used by many more attackerswhich makes industry threat sharing, improved detection methods, and stronger safety controls all the more critical.
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to powdered dietary supplements. According to the latest update from the agency, the outbreak has sickened almost a dozen people, with three hospitalized. The outbreak has also sparked multiple product recalls. Here’s what to know: What’s happened? On Wednesday, November 12, Brooklyn-based Food to Live voluntarily recalled its “Organic Moringa Leaf Powder” and “Organic Supergreens Powder Mix” products due to a risk of Salmonella contamination. These products were distributed through retail and wholesale channels nationwide. The FDA published a recall notice on Thursday, November 13. Both recalled products contain moringa leaf powder supplied by Vallon Farmdirect PVT LTD of Jodhpur, India. The ingredient, which is sold in multiple dietary supplements, is linked to the Salmonella outbreak. Earlier in October and November, products containing the same ingredient were also recalled. Those products were branded as Members Mark and Africa Imports. To date, 11 illnesses across seven states have been reported in connection with products containing moringa leaf powder from the same lot. Which products are impacted by the recalls? The Food to Live product recall was initiated after the FDA notified the company that a specific supplier lot of organic moringa powder tested positive for Salmonella. The following products are included in the most recent recall: Organic Moringa Leaf Powder: Sold in 8-ounce, 1-pound, 2-pound, 4-pound, 8-pound, 16-pound, and 44-pound bags. Organic Supergreens Powder Mix: Sold in 8-ounce, 1-pound, 1.5-pound, 3-pound, 6-pound, and 12-pound bags. The recalled products were sold directly on the Food To Live website and were shipped to customers nationwide. The products were also sold on third-party e-commerce platforms, including: Amazon.com Walmart.com Target Etsy eBay Bulk quantities from the affected lot were sold to food manufacturers and other businesses. Other products containing moringa powder were recalled earlier. They were sold at various retailers, both in-store and online, and have been likewise linked to the outbreak. The following products were recalled earlier: Africa Imports Organic Moringa Leaf Powder: Sold in a 1-kilogram box on the Africa Imports website after June 5, 2025. Members Mark Super Greens dietary supplement powder: All packages, regardless of lot codes or best buy/use by dates. The product was sold at Sams Club stores nationwide, in-store and online. All recalled products were manufactured using a single lot of recalled organic moringa leaf powder supplied by Vallon Farmdirect, a food producer based in Jodhpur, India. What if I have one of these recalled products? Consumers who have purchased any of the above recalled products should dispose of them or return them to the place of purchase. Distributors and retailers that have received recalled moringa leaf powder manufactured by Vallon Farmdirect should not use, sell, or distribute any products or ingredients containing it, the FDA says. Where has the outbreak spread? The FDA is currently investigating this Salmonella outbreak. The FDAs Moringa Leaf Powder Salmonella outbreak investigation page was last updated on November 13, 2025. A list of recalled products, product images, and other details about the investigation is available. The FDA has reported 11 illnesses, with three people hospitalized. Illnesses have been reported in the following states: Florida Kansas Michigan New York North Carolina South Carolina Virginia What symptoms should I look out for? Salmonella infection is a bacterial disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract. Its commonly spread through contaminated food or water. According to the Mayo Clinic, most people develop diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps within 8 to 72 hours after exposure. Most healthy people recover within a few days to one week without needing specific treatment. Some people have no symptoms at all. If you think you have developed symptoms of Salmonella, contact a healthcare provider.
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Lawyers representing OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, branches of the Sackler family that own it, cities, states, counties, Native American tribes, people with addiction and others across the U.S. are expected to deliver a nearly unanimous message for a bankruptcy court judge Friday: Approve a plan to settle thousands of opioid-related lawsuits against the company.If U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane abides, it will close a long chapter and maybe the entire book on a legal odyssey over efforts to hold the company to account for its role in an opioid crisis connected to 900,000 deaths in the U.S. since 1999, including deaths from heroin and illicit fentanyl.Closing arguments were expected Friday in the third day of a hearing over a bankruptcy plan for the company, which filed for protection six years ago as it faced lawsuits with claims that grew to trillions of dollars. The opposition is much quieter this time around The saga has been emotional and full of contentious arguments between the many groups that took Purdue to court, often exposing a possible mismatch between the quest for justice and the practical role of bankruptcy court.The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a previous deal because it said it was improper for Sackler family members to receive immunity from lawsuits over opioids. In the new arrangement, entities who don’t opt into the settlement can sue them. Family members are collectively worth billions, but much of their assets are held in trusts in offshore accounts that would be hard to access through lawsuits.This time, the government groups involved have reached an even fuller consensus and there’s been mostly subdued opposition from individuals. Out of more than 54,000 personal injury victims who voted on whether the plan should be accepted. just 218 said no. A larger number of people who are part of that group didn’t vote.A handful of objectors spoke Thursday at the hearing, sometimes interrupting the judge. Some said that only the victims, not the states and other government entities, should receive the funds in the settlement. Others wanted the judge to find the members of the Sackler family criminally liable something Lane said is beyond the scope of the bankruptcy court, but that the settlement doesn’t bar prosecutors from pursuing.A Florida woman whose husband struggled with addiction after being given OxyContin following an accident told the court that the deal isn’t enough.“The natural laws of karma suggest the Sacklers and Purdue Pharma should pay for what they have done,” Pamela Bartz Halaschak said via video. Deal would be among the biggest opioid settlements A flood of lawsuits filed by government entities against Purdue and other drugmakers, drug wholesalers and pharmacy chains began about a decade ago.Most of the major ones have already settled for a total of about $50 billion, with most of the money going to fight the opioid crisis.The Purdue deal would rank among the largest of them. Members of the Sackler family would be required to pay up to $7 billion and give up ownership of the company. None have been on its board or received payments since 2018. Unlike a similar hearing four years ago, none were called to testify in this week’s hearing.The company would get a name change and new overseers who would dedicate future profits to battling the opioid crisis.There are also some non-financial provisions. Certain members of the Sackler family would be required to give up involvement in companies that sell opioids in other countries.Family members would also be barred from having their names added to institutions in exchange for charitable contributions. The name has already been removed from museums and universities.And company documents, including many that would normally be subject to lawyer-client privilege, are to be made public. Some people hurt by Purdue’s opioids would receive some money Unlike the other major opioid settlements, individuals harmed by Purdue’s products would be in line for some money as part of the settlement. About $850 million would be set aside for them, with more than $100 million of that amount carved out to help children born dealing with opioid withdrawal.About 139,000 people have active claims for the money. Many of them, however, have not shown proof that they were prescribed Purdue’s opioids and will receive nothing. Lawyers expect that those who had prescriptions for at least six months would receive about $16,000 each and those who had them more briefly would get around $8,000. Legal fees would reduce what people actually receive.One woman who had a family member suffer from opioid addiction told the court by video Thursday that the settlement doesn’t help people with substance use disorder.“Tell me how you guys can sleep at night knowing people are going to get so little money they can’t do anything with it,” asked Laureen Ferrante of Staten Island, New York.Most of the money is to go to state and local governments to be used in their efforts to mitigate damage of the opioid epidemic. Overdose death numbers have been dropping in the past few years, a decline experts believe is partly due to the impact of settlement dollars. Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press
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