Briefs for Thursday, 22 October 2026

20:12

Hackers reportedly used Claude and Grok agents in attacks that included banks

A hacking group known as CyberCartel reportedly used AI agents from several tech companies to automate cyberattacks on Latin American businesses. According to the report, the hackers used AI agents powered by models such as Claude and Grok to attack more than 400 targets in Latin America, including banks and payments companies. Anthropic said it quickly blocked the hackers’ use of Claude.

NoteStraiker’s CEO said enterprises are “just not ready”, and the report says many companies are now investing heavily in AI-powered cyberprotections.

Source: PYMNTSShare

20:10

Top story: Payments & Fintech

Walmart’s Agent Gateway lets AI agents make purchases, with spending controls

Walmart launched its Agent Gateway, an MCP server that lets approved AI agents search its inventory and make purchases for shoppers. Agent Profiles, rolling out next month, will let customers approve each transaction or set a spending limit for each agent. Walmart says agents can’t access customers’ payment information.

NoteThe design mirrors an authorized user on a credit card, a structure card issuers already know how to cap and track.

Source: TechCrunchShare