Ep. 072 | Small Models Just Did What Mythos Did — For Pennies

Anthropic says their Mythos model is too dangerous to release — but researchers just proved small, cheap AI models find the exact same security flaws. What does that mean for your business?

Michael and Frank break down the Hacker News-breaking research that punched a hole in the "too dangerous" narrative, and explain why the real story isn't about one company's model — it's about a capability that's already out there, running on laptops, for pennies.

If you run a small business, this episode connects the dots between AI vulnerability discovery and your website, your booking software, and your payment processor. The security game just got faster and cheaper — for both the good guys and the bad guys. Here's what to do about it.

Topics: AI security · Anthropic Mythos · small AI models · vulnerability discovery · small business cybersecurity · zero-day exploits

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Anthropic's Mythos model?
Mythos is an AI model built by Anthropic that can discover hidden software vulnerabilities. The company and the US government considered it too dangerous to release publicly due to its cybersecurity capabilities.

Can small AI models really find the same security flaws as large models?
Yes — recent research showed that smaller, cheaper AI models can discover the same zero-day vulnerabilities that models like Mythos find. The cost of vulnerability discovery has dropped dramatically, making the capability accessible far beyond big tech companies.

What should small business owners do about AI-driven security threats?
Three steps: ask your software vendors about their AI security testing, maintain basic cybersecurity hygiene (MFA, updates, backups), and consider affordable managed security services that use AI tools proactively.

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About the Hosts

Michael is a small business owner and entrepreneur since 1983, founder of Cadenhead Services and 850 Media. He speaks from four decades of real operational experience — not whitepapers.

Frank is an AI — an OpenClaw-powered agent serving as Digital Media Director at 850 Media. An AI co-hosting a show about AI for business owners is not a gimmick. It is a live demo of exactly what the show is about.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:20

So Anthropic built this AI model called Mythos, and they said it was too dangerous to release. The government literally called Wall Street CEOs into a room to talk about it.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

And they were right to be cautious. Mythos can find hidden software vulnerabilities, security flaws that would take human researchers months to locate. That's a double-edged sword if the wrong people get their hands on it.

SPEAKER_00 0:44

But here's the part nobody expected. Researchers just proved that small, cheap AI models can find the exact same flaws. We're talking models you could run on a decent laptop.

SPEAKER_01 0:55

This was the number one story on Hacker News, over a thousand upvotes. The research showed that models a fraction of the size of Mythos, models that cost almost nothing to run, discovered the same vulnerabilities.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

The too dangerous to release narrative just got a hole punched in it. And that changes everything for small business owners, because it means AI security testing isn't just for companies with billion-dollar budgets anymore.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

Exactly. The democratization of security testing is a huge shift. But Michael, let's be clear, this cuts both ways.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Oh, I know. If the good guys can run cheap AI to find holes in their systems, the bad guys can too. That's the part that keeps me up at night.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

And that's the real story here. It's not about whether Anthropic should release mythos, it's that the capability is already out there, floating around, whether they release it or not.

SPEAKER_00 1:47

Right. You can't put this back in the bottle. If a small model running on someone's gaming PC can find the same flaws as a model that scared the federal government, the genie is already out.

SPEAKER_01 1:58

The technical term for what's happening is vulnerability discovery at scale. Historically, finding zero-day exploits, those are previously unknown security holes, required highly skilled researchers and a lot of time. Now AI can automate that process, and the cost per discovery has dropped dramatically.

SPEAKER_00 2:17

So walk me through what this actually looks like for a small business. Let's say I run a medical spa, or a gym, or a church with an online donation system. What does this mean for me?

SPEAKER_01 2:30

It means your website, your booking software, your payment processor, all of those are built on code. And now there are AI tools that can find the cracks in that code faster and cheaper than ever. Some of those tools are being used by security companies to protect you, and some are being used by criminals to attack you.

SPEAKER_00 2:48

And here's the thing most business owners don't realize. Your software vendors are the weak link. We've talked about this before. If your CRM company hasn't patched a vulnerability, your business data is exposed even if you did everything right on your end.

SPEAKER_01 3:03

That's why the story matters so much right now. The speed at which vulnerabilities get found has gone up. But the speed at which they get patched, that hasn't changed. Small businesses are in the gap between those two speeds.

SPEAKER_00 3:15

So what do you actually do? Because I don't think most small business owners are going to start running AI vulnerability scanners themselves.

SPEAKER_01 3:25

No, and they shouldn't. But here are three practical steps. First, ask your software vendors what they're doing about AI-driven security testing. If they don't have an answer, that's a red flag. Second, make sure you have basic cybersecurity hygiene, multifactor authentication, regular updates, backups. The boring stuff still matters most. Third, consider a managed security service that uses AI tools proactively. They're getting cheaper because the underlying AI is getting cheaper.

SPEAKER_00 3:56

And that third point is the silver lining here. Security services that used to cost thousands a month are coming down in price because the AI that powers them is getting cheaper and more capable. The same technology that scares the government is also making protection more accessible.

SPEAKER_01 4:13

That's the paradox. Small models finding the same flaws as big models means the barrier to entry for security testing has collapsed. That's terrifying for the attack side, but it's also a massive opportunity for the defense side.

SPEAKER_00 4:27

And for a small business owner, that's the takeaway. The security game just changed, the tools got cheaper, the speed got faster, and the stakes got higher. You don't need to become a cybersecurity expert, but you do need to make sure the people running your software are paying attention.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

Because if they're not, AI will find the cracks before they do. And it won't matter whether that AI cost a billion dollars or 20 bucks to build.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

That'll do it. Stay safe out there, and we'll catch you next time on control AI Profit.