Top News

Europe urges banks to prepare for AI-assisted cyberattacks
14 May 2026

The European Central Bank (ECB) has warned euro area banks to prepare for potential cyberattacks powered by advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models.

Frank Elderson, a member of the ECB board, stressed the urgency of this preparation in an interview with the Supervision Newsletter.

He noted that the lack of access to Mythos, a powerful AI tool, has exacerbated the problem.

Mythos's early access granted to large US banks
Tool significance

Mythos is a cutting-edge AI tool that helps identify potential weaknesses in data systems.

It has been granted early access to large US banks, which are now racing to address the vulnerabilities highlighted by this tool.

Elderson emphasized that "Lack of access is not an excuse for inaction. On the contrary, it makes it even more critical that banks step up and act now," stressing the need for banks to act swiftly and decisively in response to these threats.

Future AI models could pose even greater threats
Cyber threat

Cybersecurity experts consider Mythos a major threat to the banking industry and its data technology systems.

Elderson warned that banks should prepare for future AI models that could enable even more aggressive cyberattacks.

"We need to be able to deal with ever more capable future models that could be released in relatively quick succession," he said.

ECB studying defenses against Mythos-guided cyberattacks
Defense strategies

ECB President Christine Lagarde recently revealed that the central bank is studying defenses against Mythos-guided cyberattacks.

However, she admitted that they are at a disadvantage due to their lack of access to this model.

In April, it was reported that ECB supervisors would question the banks under their supervision about their preparedness for this new source of risk.

Japanese banks likely to start work with Mythos soon
Access disparity

The global access gap to the AI model could widen for Europe, as Japan's three largest banks are likely to be cleared to start work with Mythos in about two weeks.

Elderson stressed that banks and their contractors need to quickly fix even minor vulnerabilities that have usually been addressed only in longer software update cycles.