United States cybersecurity officials are currently debating a massive change to how the government handles software flaws. Sources close to the situation revealed that officials want to drastically shorten the deadline to fix critical vulnerabilities in government computer networks. These experts worry that hackers will soon use advanced artificial intelligence tools, like Anthropic’s Mythos, to break into federal systems.
This bold proposal would slash the current response time for actively exploited vulnerabilities from 14 days down to just 3 days. While nobody has reported this specific plan before today, the pressure to act builds quickly. Anxiety over the raw power of new AI models, including OpenAI’s GPT-5.4-Cyber, has steadily grown over several weeks.
Hackers started using basic artificial intelligence tools to launch attacks back in 2023. However, these newer, highly advanced models pose a totally different threat. Security experts say these modern AI tools can easily spot previously unknown computer bugs. The AI can also instantly identify newly disclosed flaws and use them to launch highly complex hacking operations within minutes.
In the past, human hackers needed several weeks, or at least a few days, to study a software flaw before they could successfully exploit it. Today, artificial intelligence compresses that entire timeframe down to just a few hours. This terrifying speed puts massive pressure on the cyber defenders to kick their own efforts into high gear.
Stephen Boyer, the founder of the cybersecurity company Bitsight, understands the challenge perfectly. His company previously helped the government catalog dangerous software bugs. Boyer noted that if the government truly wants to protect its civil agencies, it must move much faster. He bluntly stated that defenders simply do not have the large safety window they once enjoyed.
Two sources familiar with the internal discussions provided more details. They claim Nick Andersen, the acting chief of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Sean Cairncross, the US national cyber director, are personally debating these new deadline proposals. Right now, it remains unclear if the leaders have made a final decision or exactly when they will announce the rule change. Neither the cyber agency nor the national director offered any official comment to reporters.
For several years, the cyber agency has maintained a strict catalog of known and exploited vulnerabilities. Security teams view the bugs on this list as top priorities because criminals and foreign spies actively use them to steal data. Normally, the agency gives civilian government departments exactly 2 weeks to fix a flaw once it lands on the public list.
Sometimes, the agency shortens that 14-day window to handle extremely dangerous emergencies. However, the new proposal would make the rapid 3-day deadline the standard default rule. These high-level discussions happen right as business leaders and the private digital security industry try to survive the release of these advanced AI models. The banking industry, for example, feels massive panic as financial regulators race to understand exactly how dangerous this new technology really is.
If the federal cyber agency tightens its deadlines, the rest of the country will likely follow suit. Nitin Natarajan, who served as the deputy director of the cyber agency under former President Joe Biden, explained the ripple effect. He said that when the federal government acts, it sends a clear signal to state governments, local cities, and private businesses that they also need to patch their systems much faster.
Natarajan currently runs the cyber consultancy firm NN Global. He stated that accelerating the deadlines makes complete sense because AI-powered threats evolve incredibly quickly. However, he warned that the cyber agency desperately needs the capacity to handle this massive strain. Under President Donald Trump, the agency suffered deep job cuts and severe government shutdowns. Natarajan pointed out that the agency is currently facing a massive reduction in both funding and human expertise.
Private security experts also see major problems with the 3-day rule. Kecia Hoyt, a vice president at the threat intelligence firm Flashpoint, warned that patching government software flaws is a highly complicated process. Engineers must run detailed tests to ensure a new patch does not completely crash the entire computer network. Hoyt stated that, realistically, fixing a major bug in just 3 days is simply impossible for certain complex environments.
John Hammond, a senior principal security researcher at the Maryland-based company Huntress, agreed that dropping the deadline from 2 weeks to 3 days represents quite a massive change for the industry. While Hammond feels cautiously optimistic about running security operations faster, he noted that only time will tell whether the slow-moving government and the fast-paced tech industry can keep up with smart AI hackers.
