Trump launches Gold Eagle to hunt cyber flaws with AI

Most of us tap Update Now and move on. However, a lot happens before that security patch reaches your phone or computer. Researchers must find the flaw. Someone needs to confirm it. Then the developer has to create a fix that will not cause a new problem.

Now, artificial intelligence can uncover software weaknesses much faster. That sounds promising, but it can also create a flood of vulnerability reports. Worse, attackers can use similar AI tools to hunt for the same openings.

The Trump administration wants to help defenders move first. The White House just announced the Gold Eagle AI cybersecurity clearinghouse. Officials say the program has already started receiving and prioritizing vulnerability reports.

Gold Eagle will connect federal agencies with private companies, critical infrastructure operators and open-source software teams. Its goal is to uncover serious flaws faster and coordinate the work needed to patch them.

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Gold Eagle is a federal coordination center for software vulnerabilities. The Treasury Department leads the effort with support from CISA and other federal partners. President Trump ordered the creation of the clearinghouse through Executive Order 14409 on June 2, 2026. The order directed Treasury to work with the National Cyber Director and other agencies.

Gold Eagle must coordinate vulnerability scanning and reduce duplicated work. It will also help validate findings before teams spend time fixing them. Finally, the program will support the distribution of patches once they are ready. The White House calls Gold Eagle a "force multiplier." In other words, the government wants each participating security team to accomplish more by sharing reliable information.

Gold Eagle does not replace the developers who maintain the affected software. Instead, it creates a central place where government and industry can coordinate their response. That distinction is important. Finding a bug does not automatically fix it. Developers still need to understand the weakness and build a safe update.

AI models can review large amounts of computer code quickly. They can also examine how software reacts when someone sends it unusual commands or unexpected data. That speed may help researchers uncover weaknesses that survived years of conventional testing.

A senior White House official said closed-source AI models will participate in Gold Eagle's vulnerability work. That includes Anthropic's Claude Mythos, which the company designed for advanced cybersecurity research. Anthropic says Mythos-class models can find software vulnerabilities and develop ways to exploit them. The company also warns that those abilities could make attacks easier if the models fall into the wrong hands.

That creates an uncomfortable reality. The same AI that can help protect a system may also help someone break into it. Therefore, Gold Eagle's success will depend on more than the model's ability to find bugs. The program must control who receives the details and how quickly developers get a warning.

Imagine several repair crews checking the same water pipe while another leak goes unnoticed. Cybersecurity teams can face a similar problem. Several organizations may scan the same popular software without knowing that another team already found the flaw. Meanwhile, less visible software may receive little attention.

Gold Eagle aims to coordinate those searches. It can help participating teams avoid repeating work and direct their attention toward software that still needs review. The clearinghouse will also try to cut through low-quality reports. AI models can generate convincing findings that turn out to be harmless or inaccurate.

As a result, human validation remains essential. Security engineers need to reproduce the reported flaw and confirm that it creates a real risk. After that, developers must test the repair. They also need to release the update without breaking the product for existing users.

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Gold Eagle will use technology developed with Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute. The system is called the Vulnerability Information and Coordination Environment, or VINCE. Carnegie Mellon's CERT Coordination Center already uses VINCE to accept vulnerability reports and communicate with affected software vendors.

Gold Eagle can use that platform as an intake point for AI-discovered vulnerabilities. Reports can then move through validation and coordination before details become public. This controlled process matters because revealing a serious vulnerability too early can give attackers a head start. Ideally, the software company receives enough time to prepare a patch before technical details spread.

However, several operational questions remain unanswered. The administration has not publicly identified every company participating in Gold Eagle. It has also released few details about daily oversight or the way sensitive reports will move between participants. The government has not said how many findings have resulted in completed patches either.

Open-source code sits inside a huge range of commercial products. It can power parts of a browser or business platform without the average user ever knowing its name. However, many open-source projects operate with limited resources. Some rely heavily on maintainers who contribute their time alongside other jobs.

AI could help those teams find dangerous flaws. At the same time, it could overwhelm them with reports that require careful review. Gold Eagle may offer a useful filter. The clearinghouse could validate a report before sending it to a project that lacks a large security department.

It could also connect maintainers with government or industry engineers who can help assess the problem. Anthropic has already worked with open-source groups through Project Glasswing. The company says its partners used Mythos Preview to find more than 10,000 high or critical-severity vulnerabilities. Those figures come from Anthropic and do not represent Gold Eagle's results. Still, those findings show why the government expects AI-generated vulnerability reports to arrive at a much greater scale.

The government's recent handling of Claude Mythos 5 shows how sensitive these capabilities have become. On June 12, 2026, the U.S. government applied export controls to Mythos 5 and Claude Fable 5. Anthropic suspended access because it could not immediately verify the nationality of every user.

The government lifted those restrictions on June 30. Anthropic restored Mythos 5 access on July 1 to a selected group of approved U.S. organizations. Anthropic currently limits Mythos 5 to vetted partners because the model could support defensive research or harmful activity.

CyberGuy previously took a closer look at how Anthropic's Mythos AI changed cybersecurity and why its ability to uncover thousands of hidden software flaws is raising concern.

Gold Eagle is betting that controlled access can give defenders an advantage. However, other advanced models will continue improving. That means Gold Eagle will need to move quickly. A flaw loses much of its defensive value once an attacker independently discovers it.

The idea behind Gold Eagle makes sense. Security teams should share validated findings and avoid wasting time on duplicate scans. However, coordination can become slow when too many organizations must approve each decision.

Gold Eagle will need clear rules for who validates a vulnerability. It also needs a reliable way to decide which reports deserve immediate attention. Transparency will matter too. The government should eventually publish useful performance information without revealing dangerous technical details.

For example, it could report how many findings were validated and how quickly affected developers received them. It could also show how many vulnerabilities led to released patches. The program faces a legal deadline as well. Its information-sharing process relies on protections in the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015.

Congress temporarily extended that law through September 30, 2026. The administration says a lapse could undermine the cooperation Gold Eagle needs from private companies. Companies may hesitate to share sensitive information when they feel uncertain about legal protections. That could weaken the clearinghouse before it has time to prove itself.

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Gold Eagle works mostly behind the scenes. However, the patch still has to reach your device. You also need to install it. Here are several ways to reduce your exposure while companies work to close newly discovered flaws.

Enable automatic updates for your phone and computer. You should also update your browser and regularly used apps. Many software updates close security holes. Automatic installation reduces the time that a known flaw remains open on your device. However, review major operating system upgrades before installing them on a device you rely on for critical work. A short delay may make sense when an update has widely reported compatibility problems. For step-by-step help, see CyberGuy's guide on how to update all of your devices and keep them safe at cyberguy.com

Your router may not display update reminders as visibly as your phone. The same problem can affect security cameras and other connected devices. Open the manufacturer's app or support page and check for firmware updates. Some newer routers let you enable automatic updates. Also, change any default administrator password that came with the device. For additional router checks, see how Russian hackers hijacked old Wi-Fi routers and the steps you can take to protect yours.

A device can continue working after its manufacturer stops supporting it. However, newly discovered vulnerabilities may remain unpatched. Check the manufacturer's support policy when you own an older router or connected product. Consider replacing the device when it reaches the end of its security-update period. CISA warns that unsupported network equipment can increase an organization's attack surface.

A real vulnerability can inspire fake update messages. Criminals may send an email that claims you must download an urgent security patch. Do not install software from an unexpected email or text message. Instead, open your device settings or the manufacturer's official app. You can also visit its verified support page directly. CISA recommends downloading patches from validated sources.

Strong antivirus software can help detect malicious files that try to exploit a weakness on your computer. Keep the protection active and allow it to update automatically. New detection information helps the software recognize recently identified threats. Still, antivirus software cannot make an unsupported device safe. It works best as one layer alongside regular updates. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com

A current backup can help you recover if malware damages your files or ransomware locks them. Use a trusted cloud backup service or an external drive. When using an external drive, disconnect it after the backup finishes so malware cannot easily reach it. Finally, confirm that your backup is working. A backup you have never checked may fail when you need it most. For help choosing a method, check out our article on how to back up your devices the right way.

What stands out to me is how quickly AI is changing the cyber fight. It can help researchers uncover serious software flaws faster, but finding the problem is only half the battle. Someone still has to confirm it, build the fix and get that update onto your device before criminals take advantage. Gold Eagle could make that process less scattered by giving government agencies, private companies and open-source developers one place to coordinate. That could save valuable time when a major vulnerability appears. The real test will be what happens next. We need to see whether Gold Eagle can protect sensitive findings and help turn them into patches people actually receive. There is also a legal deadline coming in September that could affect how freely companies share threat information. For now, do not wait for a federal program to protect every device you own. Keep your software updated and take a closer look at older routers or smart devices that may no longer receive security fixes.

Would you feel safer knowing AI is hunting for software flaws, or more concerned knowing attackers can use the same technology? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

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