DeepSeek, an emerging AI startup based in China, has announced a temporary halt on user registrations due to a significant cyber attack that recently targeted its servers. Initial assessments indicate that the incident involved a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. This type of attack generates large volumes of false web traffic, overwhelming server capacity and hindering legitimate users from accessing the service.
The company is recognized for providing a free AI chatbot service to Apple Inc. users, which has likely made it a prime target for cyber adversaries. The flood of bogus traffic resulted in substantial service interruptions, leading DeepSeek to take its platform offline for a brief period. Subsequent investigations traced the attack back to a network of bots that inundated the company’s servers, triggering alerts within DeepSeek’s threat monitoring systems and necessitating the suspension of registration processes to limit further damage.
From a business standpoint, DeepSeek is experiencing notable success, particularly with its recent AI models gaining traction in key markets such as the United States and the United Kingdom. The company’s chat assistants, including the DeepSeek-R1 utilizing the recently released DeepSeek-V3 model, have found favor among iPhone users. These models have been acclaimed for their transparency, performance, and consistency, alongside their open-source nature, which has accelerated their acceptance in Western markets.
This momentum has positioned DeepSeek as a formidable competitor within the AI sector, creating significant business prospects since its establishment in 2023 by Baidu, the notable Chinese tech conglomerate. However, the firm’s rapid growth raises pressing concerns, particularly regarding the management and protection of user data.
As DeepSeek’s services expand into the USA and the UK, questions arise about the company’s compliance with data protection regulations. Current legislation in both nations mandates that user data must be stored locally, prohibiting its transfer to servers situated in China. The company has yet to clarify its data storage and management strategies in light of these legal requirements.
In response to the ongoing uncertainties and the recent cyber attack, DeepSeek has limited registrations to Chinese users only, requiring local phone numbers for service access after adhering to formal login procedures. Until these regulatory and security challenges are addressed, it remains uncertain how DeepSeek will traverse the complexities of data privacy laws in Western markets while simultaneously expanding its international user base.
The MITRE ATT&CK framework highlights potential adversary tactics that may have been employed in this DDoS attack. Tactics such as initial access and denial of service are particularly relevant in understanding how the attack unfolded. As the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve, businesses must remain vigilant against such threats, ensuring robust security measures are in place to protect against these growing risks.
Ad
