Cyberattack on DeepSeek Triggers Concerns Over AI Security and Global Competition

A major cyberattack on DeepSeek led to the suspension of new registrations for its revolutionary AI model, R1, which had been released just days before causing a stir in the Western technology sector. The Chinese media reported that this attack originated from the United States, raising concerns as DeepSeek's cost-effective AI model rapidly gained popularity, outpacing well-established competitors like OpenAI's ChatGPT.

DeepSeek's R1 system, developed with significantly lower expenses and computational requirements compared to those of its American counterparts, quickly climbed to the top of the free apps list on the Apple Store. The impact of this new technology resulted in investors offloading shares of major companies like Nvidia and Oracle, causing a loss of approximately one trillion dollars in the U.S. stock market due to fears surrounding the competitive threat posed by DeepSeek's AI capabilities.

In response to the cyberattack, which initially overwhelmed DeepSeek's infrastructure, the company restricted new signups to users in China and temporarily halted international registrations. A message within their app acknowledged undergoing "malicious attacks" while keeping the precise source of these attacks unspecified, stating that the restrictions were necessary to maintain service continuity for current users.

As the situation developed, DeepSeek communicated that the issue was under investigation and a resolution was forthcoming. Meanwhile, a social media account linked to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV claimed that the attackers were operating from the U.S., suggesting a pattern of brute-force attacks aimed at overwhelming the system and attempting to gain unauthorized access to user credentials.

This incident has heightened anxieties regarding the security of AI platforms, with experts warning of the potential risks they pose to user data. Former security adviser Bill Conner highlighted that DeepSeek could represent significant dangers to organizations emphasizing data privacy and security. Additionally, U.S. President Donald Trump called DeepSeek’s emergence a crucial alert for American AI enterprises. Concerns about DeepSeek's affiliations with the Chinese government have also been raised, particularly regarding its co-founder Liang Wenfeng, who had participated in a government symposium on the day of R1's launch, indicating possible ties to state interests.