- Claude discovered a zero-click Linux vulnerability (CVE-2026-98432) rated 9.8 out of 10, described as “the worst bug in the history of the internet” by crypto influencers.
- The bug allows Hackers to remotely execute code as root without authentication, spooking Ubuntu users and delaying patches.
- Anthropic researchers could take over certain Linux machines within 53 minutes, while Amazon and Red Hat scrambled to update infrastructure.
Over the weekend, Claude’s newly-discovered zero-click Linux vulnerability earned a 9.8 out of 10 on a common vulnerability scoring system and was branded “the worst bug in the history of the internet” after Shopify’s CEO garnered three million views highlighting the disaster. The bug, designated CVE-2026-98432, allowed hackers to remotely execute code on servers without any user interaction when Claude strung together a series of operations that escalated a niche error into an easy-to-exploit vulnerability.
An Anthropic staff member concluded, “I can’t think of a more severe bug.” A senior editor at ZDNet described the feeling, saying, “When I used to work with network security, we called this a ‘shoot me now’ bug.” A Cybersecurity researcher described a “working exploit that allows remote code execution as root, without authentication.”
Crypto influencers piled on, with Kyle Samani claiming it was “the worst bug in the history of the internet,” while ex-Coinbase engineer Mert Mumtaz wrote, “It’s worse than that. Think about it again. It’s still worse than that.” Meanwhile, Amazon was still working on upgrading its infrastructure, and Red Hat reiterated the critical level of the bug. Ubuntu users suffered a delay on code patches.
By late last week, Anthropic wrote that its researchers could take over certain Linux machines within 53 minutes, and the AI giant was already helping companies apply patches while encouraging Linux ecosystem partners to fix buggy code.
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