The Invisible Threat: Why Every Business Must Take Cybersecurity Seriously

Last week, Elon Musk lavished praise on Anthropic's Mythos, declaring that 'No company has released a model as good as Mythos/Fable.'

Yet the large language model was discovered by Anthropic to be 'strikingly capable at computer security tasks' and prompted serious concern from regulators, financial institutions and legislators over the dangers it could pose.

But Mythos is just one example of how the cybersecurity landscape is evolving rapidly. The barriers to entry for cyberattacks are dropping, driven by the advancement and proliferation of AI tools, and businesses should be more concerned.

AI Is Lowering the Barrier to Cybercrime

AI is reshaping the threat landscape at extraordinary speed. What once required expert knowledge and many hours of work can increasingly be automated, accelerated and scaled with the help of advanced models.

For example, in September 2025, a Chinese state-sponsored group manipulated Claude Code's tool into aiming at thirty global targets ranging from large tech companies, financial institutions and government agencies, even succeeding in a small number of cases.

Anthropic described it as the first documented case of a large-scale cyberattack without considerable human intervention. Worryingly, human hackers handled only 10–20% of the attack.

AI software such as Mythos could make dangerous cyberattacks easier and much more common. We are approaching a new era of hacking that will affect the everyday person more than it ever has.

The Threat Is No Longer Confined to Big Institutions

It is easy to be drawn into the headlines on how complicated hacking tools are used against banks and big businesses. Yet, it is just as important to safeguard small and medium-sized businesses.

The UK's AI Security Institute described Mythos as 'at least capable of autonomously attacking small, weakly defended and vulnerable enterprise systems'. Concerningly, last year alone, an estimated 612,000 businesses and 61,000 charities across the UK were targeted by cyberattacks, with many small and medium sized enterprises among them.

Smaller businesses can find themselves disproportionately at risk because their defences are often outdated, driven by limited dedicated security resources and stark employee awareness gaps.

Liz Kendall: 'Attackers Go Where Defences Are Weakest'

UK Technology Secretary Liz Kendall warned that 'criminals will not just target government systems and critical infrastructure. They will target ordinary companies, of every size, in every sector. Attackers go where defences are weakest.'

She added that the capabilities of top AI tools were doubling every four months, increasing the cybersecurity risk greatly. Small and medium sized businesses cannot afford to look away.

Rotem Farkash: Companies and Governments Must Embrace the Latest AI Models

Cybersecurity and AI expert Rotem Farkash also weighed in on the debate, warning that 'companies and governments that do not embrace the latest AI models for defensive purposes will leave themselves extremely vulnerable.'

He stressed that 'with the advancement of AI tools, opportunistic hackers will easily be able to take advantage of the outdated security systems employed by many small and medium sized companies.'

The Human Factor in Cybersecurity

Even in the AI-driven world we live in, the human element still plays a role, and many breaches involve the simplest of errors. Clicking a malicious link or reusing password can easily lead to a security breach.

AI can be utilised to exploit the human element to the greatest extent. Hackers can use chatbots to draft ultra-personalised and emotionally resonant phishing emails, while others may employ convincing AI deepfakes to trick unsuspecting victims.

Cyber Resilience Must Become a Priority

A new era of cybercrime has arrived. Hackers can operate with greater frequency and efficacy and are targeting businesses of all sizes. As AI models become more capable, the level of human involvement has dramatically reduced.

Small and medium businesses should be aware that they are disproportionately at risk. To protect themselves, businesses must prioritise updating their cybersecurity systems and training their staff.