By Rosemarie Connell Rosemarie Connell explores how the latest AI-driven cyber threats are forcing financial firms and regulators to radically accelerate cybersecurity responses. Anthropic’s “Mythos” AI system, which is being widely discussed across financial and technology sectors for its ability to autonomously identify and potentially exploit software vulnerabilities, is raising growing concern across financial services firms. It highlights that cybersecurity cannot realistically keep pace with machine-speed threats capable of uncovering weaknesses embedded across decades-old and deeply interconnected operational systems. These are not isolated vulnerabilities. They are systemic exposures across legacy infrastructures and modern environments, often sitting undetected until they are actively exploited. In parallel, FINRA, the U.S. self-regulatory organisation overseeing brokerage firms and securities professionals to enforce market integrity and investor protection standards, has launched its Financial Intelligence Fusion Center (FIFC) to improve real-time sharing of cyber threat and fraud intelligence across financial institutions. Together, these developments reflect a broader shift in how cybersecurity is being defined across financial services. For firms operating across U.S. and international markets, this shift is already visible in day-to-day operations, particularly where legacy systems and new threats meet. The BBC[i] has reported growing concern among financial leaders that vulnerabilities in complex banking systems may now be identified faster than they can be fixed. This aligns with warnings from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)[ii], which states that AI-enabled tools are likely to increase both the volume and speed of cyberattacks against systems that have not been updated with security fixes. The NCSC cautions that by 2027, the time between vulnerability discovery and exploitation could shrink to days, creating material risks for critical infrastructure and financial supply chains. In highly interconnected financial environments, even minor weaknesses can quickly become systemic risks. The FIFC and the limits of coordination The launch of the FIFC strengthens