# RA-2026-018

- **Artifact ID:** RA-2026-018
- **Status:** VALID
- **Public record:** https://record.cybersecurityhq.com/rating-actions/ra-2026-018
- **Machine-record SHA-256:** `ba86a1870a9c4ae04770e6d2717afb838c7e27a5817312bad08dd16a4738c379`
- **Publication correction:** CHQ-PUB-CORR-2026-001. This digest supersedes `16c157e21bb4826ee1cc80be23e1634866db864ca0b1fbe1b505570ede2c80a6`; the earlier digest does not verify these bytes.

## Complete structured record

```json
{
  "id": "RA-2026-018",
  "aliases": [
    "RAR-2026-006"
  ],
  "date": "2026-10-13",
  "issue": "42",
  "condition": "CHQ-SC-2026-011",
  "action": "AFFIRMED (counted set provisional; published count qualified; second operator held)",
  "from": "STRENGTHENING",
  "to": "STRENGTHENING / Accumulating / Watch up",
  "outlook": "Accumulating",
  "watch": "up",
  "criterion_version": "SC-011 v1.0 (v1.1 DECLARED, effective on ratification)",
  "methodology_version": "v1.3",
  "evidence_rows": "Founding at Issue 41: SN-2026-07-29-01 and SN-2026-10-06-01 provisionally retained (do not satisfy strict v1.0 wording); SN-2026-09-26-06 Services Australia demonstrable under v1.0. Held: SN-2026-10-10-01 Anthropic, Grade A on evidence, criterion v1.1 not in force; Gemini shared evaluator root. Published counted-set qualification: CHQ-CORR-2026-012, Issue 42. Two negative-evidence rows SN-2026-10-10-N01/N02.",
  "grades": "One validated under v1.0 (Services Australia, Grade A). Two PROVISIONAL founding instances. Operative grade of the Anthropic candidate: B (CGS-2.2); historical registry label A disputed pending Q4 audit.",
  "independence_determination": "OpenAI and Anthropic independent (different operator, harness, source, failure mode). Anthropic and Google SHARED_ROOT (Irregular). Two independent operators exist; the second is held on criterion scope, not on independence.",
  "rule_applied": "v1.0 \"benignly tasked agent reaches third-party systems\" does not admit a sanctioned-offensive evaluation escape; the founding set itself does not satisfy that text strictly (HF = evaluation; K8s = own infrastructure). Clarification v1.1 declared 10 Oct; CHQ rule: a definition change cannot govern the live case that motivated it. Hold. COUNT STATUS: three counted instances are PROVISIONAL as a set: one demonstrable under v1.0 (Services Australia), two retained provisionally (HF, K8s: evaluation context / own infrastructure), both expected to qualify under v1.1. Branches: v1.1 ratified -> the provisionally counted instances and the Anthropic candidate are REASSESSED against the ratified criterion and the independence test; confirmation follows only if the two-operator threshold is independently demonstrated (ratification establishes the criterion, not the outcome); v1.1 rejected -> set reduces to one, rating STRENGTHENING on the single-event floor, Watch re-assessed. Audit authority: CHQ-AUDIT-2026-Q4-SCOPE.",
  "alternative_not_taken": "RAISE to CONFIRMED on the broad authorization-boundary reading (staged 10 Oct, withdrawn same day pre-publication, CHQ-CORR-2026-011).",
  "cgs_provisions": [
    "CGS-4.1",
    "CGS-4.3",
    "CGS-6.2"
  ],
  "record_links": [
    "CHQ-CRIT-SC011-v1.1",
    "CHQ-CORR-2026-011",
    "CHQ-CORR-2026-012",
    "CHQ-CATCHLAG-2026-001",
    "CHQ-SC011-ADJ-SECONDOP",
    "CHQ-AUDIT-2026-Q4-SCOPE"
  ],
  "blind_reproduction": "OWED (packet: this row + CHQ-CRIT-SC011-v1.1 + CHQ-CORR-2026-011)",
  "status": "VALID"
}
```