Trendz³ Newsletter: What Mythos, Glasswing Mean for Arkansas Business

Hi Friend,

"It's summertime, and the livin' is easy." 🎶  And AI is trying to make that livin' even easier this summer — by simplifying, streamlining, and supercharging our work.

Which is great. Until, well, it's not.

It seems for every benefit AI offers, there's also a less advantageous — maybe downright dangerous — drawback. This month's newsletter illustrates this "AIs and AIn'ts" effect perfectly. Below, you'll see ways AI is currently making us safer and more productive, even as you see ways it seems to be doing the opposite.

Here's to maximizing the AIs and minimizing the AIn'ts.

Sincerely,

Rob Brothers
Founding Partner
TekTrendz

Trend¹ — What's all this talk about Mythos & Glasswing? A primer for the rest of us 

There's been lots of chatter about strange-sounding things like Mythos and Glasswing lately. No, they're not Spider-Man villains; they are, however, AI developments with real implications for small businesses.

Want a "cliffsnotes" version of it all? Read on...

What happened?

• In April 2026, Anthropic, the company behind Claude AI, unveiled a powerful new AI model — Mythos — trained on next-generation GPUs.

• Early teams of researchers found the new AI “strikingly capable at computer security tasks,” even superior to humans at some hacking activities.

• These weren’t just “run of the mill” vulnerabilities, Anthropic claimed. The bugs were “often subtle or difficult to detect” — lying dormant in decades-old code and capable of being easily exploited by hackers

• Anthropic decided not to release Mythos publicly. Instead, the AI firm launched Project Glasswing — a coalition of major tech companies (think: Google, Apple types) that would use Mythos to find and fix vulnerabilities, thus preempting would-be cyberattacks on internet-critical platforms. 

• As of last month, Mythos had uncovered 6,202 "high or critical-severity" security vulnerabilities in 1,000 foundational open-source programs used across the web. Glasswing partners, too, are finding plenty of bugs in their own systems. Cloudflare, for one, found a total 2,000 vulnerabilities.

"So what? Why's it matter? I'm a small business, after all." 

• Project Glasswing is only protecting the big boys — not businesses like yours. And if their software contains thousands of critical vulnerabilities, it's safe to say many small businesses are also dangerously exposed.
• Technology like Mythos won't stay contained for long. Anthropic may not be releasing the AI model publicly, but cybercriminals could soon have similar Mythos-like capabilities.
• The silver lining? The basics of cybersecurity still matter — more than ever. Patching, strong passwords, and employee awareness remain your best defense — and that's something small businesses can actually do.

Bottom line: Cybercriminals will soon operate with greater scale, speed, and sophistication — thanks to more powerful AI.

No need to panic, just to prepare.
 

Trend² — Losses from remote access scams topped $2 billion last year (don't be a victim)

Imagine: You're heads-down at your desk when your phone rings. The caller ID says "Microsoft Support." The voice on the other end is polite but urgent: "Your computer has been flagged for suspicious activity, and I need remote access to fix it."

He tells you to download AnyDesk, Quick Assist, or another common remote-access program. And because it all sounds and feels legit, you do.

Only, this isn't Microsoft Support. It's a cybercriminal. And now that he has full administrative access to your computer, you're at his mercy. This hacker can simply sit back, watch you type passwords, access your files, and — ultimately — plunder you and/or your business out of thousands of dollars.

This is just one variation of the pernicious remote access or technical support scam, and it's a widespread cybercrime drawing the attention of everyone from Microsoft to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Victims of technical support/remote access scams lost $2.1 billion in the U.S. last year alone.

How to avoid becoming a victim:

• Never download remote-access software following an unexpected request. AnyDesk, Quick Assist, and the like are completely legitimate tools. Indeed, TekTrendz uses ScreenConnect to remotely fix your tech issues, but we will never call you out of the blue and ask you to install it.

• Hang up on unsolicited "support" calls. TekTrendz, Microsoft, your bank, etc. won't cold-call you to fix a problem. Only trust what you initiate.

• Don't call numbers from pop-ups or suspicious emails. That "Your computer is infected!" pop-up with a support number? Yeah, it's a trap. Close it and call us directly using the number you already have.

Finally, remember, urgency is your enemy and the scammer's ally. So, slow down. Think before acting, especially when the voice on the other end is rushing you.

Trend³ — The AI PC is coming — and what it means for your next computer upgrade

No doubt you've heard the name NVIDIA recently. Like, a lot. Like, ad nauseam.

For better or worse, NVIDIA is one of the glowing supernovas lighting the AI age. Virtually every AI product you've used — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini — relies on NVIDIA's GPU chips and the data centers they power. It's why the company's stock has surged over 1000% these last five years.

For the most part, till now, NVIDIA has been powering the unseen "backend" of the AI revolution. But, something happened last week that could change that: NVIDIA's CEO announced a new chip, RTX Spark, designed specifically for consumer PCs.

That's right, NVIDIA is now looking beyond data centers — and its sights are set on your laptop/desktop. A new line of Windows machines from Microsoft, Dell, and others, sporting NVIDIA's shiny new AI chip, could be available this fall.

Why does it matter? Because, if NVIDIA and Microsoft have their way, you'll have an AI assistant living locally on your PC, with access to your files, that can help you draft, summarize, troubleshoot, etc. — without ever connecting to the web.

Three practical takeaways:

1. Factor AI PCs into your future hardware refreshes. First-generation AI PCs will carry a price premium, of course. But probably not for long.
2. Expect prices to shift across the board. NVIDIA entering the PC chip market puts pressure on other chip-makers — and more competition typically means better prices for buyers, even on non-AI machines. Good news!
3. The cloud isn't going anywhere. Gemini and Claude, for instance, will still live in a browser. But AI PCs will open the door to locally-run AI tools that work offline and keep sensitive business data off the internet entirely.

TekTrendz Quiz: Would your business qualify for cyber insurance — you know, if it needed to?

Does your business need cyber insurance? Would you qualify for it?

Even businesses that decide they don't necessarily need cyber insurance often find the qualification process — by itself — makes their organization more secure.

This new article from TekTrendz — complete with an interactive quiz — is a good primer for businesses considering cyber insurance, or those simply wishing to strengthen their cybersecurity. Let's see how you do...

Take Our Cyber Insurance Quiz

Razorback game days just got easier! Carry your Arkansas driver's license in Apple Wallet

Okay, so you don't like your driver's license photo? Yeah, me neither.

All the more reason to take advantage of this...

Arkansas residents can now add their driver's licenses directly to Apple Wallet on iPhone and Apple Watch, allowing them to present a digital ID at supported locations — like Razorback Stadium — across the country.

No, you'll still need to carry your physical license. Not that you ever speed or anything, but state law enforcement won't yet process digital IDs. However, the new digital ID could simplify the UA gameday experience and TSA checkpoints.

And, the best news, Apple Wallet doesn't even display your license photo.

Get More Details Here

Articles We're Reading...

Here's four articles we've read recently with important implications for small business — and their technology, productivity, and/or cybersecurity.

• Fake CAPTCHA scam can hack your computer
• The data center debates are only a preview of Arkansas’ AI challenges
• Anthropic’s Mythos set off a cybersecurity ‘hysteria.’ Experts say the threat was already here
• Arkansas AG investigating Canvas cyberattack

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Trendz³ is a free, monthly email newsletter from TekTrendz, created exclusively for small businesses of Northwest Arkansas. Once a month, the Trendz³ newsletter will provide you with a quick rundown of the three most pressing trends in technology, cybersecurity, and IT — that you really need to know. We'll also share helpful resources and news along the way.

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