Did Anthropic Just Crown CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks the AI Cybersecurity Stock Winners?

Earlier this month, Anthropic dropped its most advanced artificial intelligence (AI) model, Claude Mythos. However, because the company said it can easily identify and exploit software vulnerabilities, Anthropic said it will not release it to the public. Instead, it will give access to the large language model (LLM) to a select group of about 50 leading tech companies.

Called Project Glasswing, the goal is for these companies to improve their cybersecurity defenses. Anthropic said Mythos has already found thousands of vulnerabilities across every major web browser and operating system. It noted it won't be long before bad actors look to use AI to exploit these vulnerabilities.

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Anthropic will provide participants with a total of $100 million in usage credits. Afterwards, the Claude Mythos will be available at a cost of $25 per million input tokens and $125 per million output tokens.

Widening CrowdStrike and Palo Alto's lead

Two of the 12 leading members of the project will be cybersecurity companies CrowdStrike (NASDAQ: CRWD) and Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW). This is important, because it shows that Anthropic is looking to cybersecurity providers to play a big role in AI protection going forward and is not developing its own solution. Wedbush analysts called the announcement big for CrowdStrike and Palo Alto, noting this will help them become an AI enforcement layer, not an AI casualty.

The capabilities of Claude Mythos, meanwhile, suggest cybersecurity will become all the more important in the age of AI. AI cyber solutions will be needed to fight against AI cybersecurity attacks, which is why CrowdStrike and Palo Alto becoming two of the leading members of Project Glasswing is so important. Gaining access to Claude Mythos will help give them an edge moving forward, allowing them to remain at the forefront of cybersecurity.

Both companies are also taking a more platform-oriented approach, which, together with growing cybersecurity threats, will continue to expand their market opportunity. While spending on AI is important for companies, spending on cybersecurity to protect against AI threats will have to be at the top of organizations' priorities. Meanwhile, using disparate point solutions that don't work together could soon become a thing of the past, given the risk of rogue AI agents that could soon be on the horizon.

CrowdStrike and Palo Alto were the two leading cybersecurity companies before the Project Glasswing announcement, and it just cemented them as the leaders in the space. With both stocks down on the year, now could be a time to scoop them up.

Geoffrey Seiler has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends CrowdStrike. The Motley Fool recommends Palo Alto Networks. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.