Claude-Built Linux Exploit Targets Bug That Ubuntu Still Hasn't Patched

In brief

• Anthropic says Claude wrote an attack that gives a stranger full control of a Linux server over the internet, using a bug that has existed since Linux version 4.4.
• Red Hat released fixes on Sunday, Nov. 1, but Ubuntu still lists every version from 16.04 to 26.10 as vulnerable.
• The Go Security Team says the best fix is to upgrade to a patched kernel, and warns the bug is not limited to the feature Anthropic's attack used.

Another day, another exploit from ChatGPT or Claude that gives us the chills.

Anthropic says its AI wrote a working attack that lets a stranger take full control of a Linux server over the internet, no password needed. The bug behind it, CVE-2026-98432, has been hiding in Linux since version 4.4 and scores 9.8 out of 10 for severity.

Linux runs countless servers, and Ubuntu is one of its most popular flavors. Ubuntu's own tracker still lists every version from 16.04 to 26.10 as vulnerable.

Anthropic described the attack on Oct. 27 in a research post covering five targets: Chrome, Safari, Android, Windows, and Linux. Claude wrote the Linux exploit after initial prompting, using an unreleased internal model.

The attack takes less than an hour to find a hidden spot in the computer's memory, then five more minutes to run a command with the highest level of access, known as root.