Chinese AI Rival to ChatGPT Hit by Major Cyberattack, Freezes New Sign-ups

Chinese AI Rival to ChatGPT Hit by Major Cyberattack, Freezes New Sign-ups

Chinese AI Platform DeepSeek Under Cyber Siege Amid Rising Popularity

DeepSeek, an emerging Chinese AI platform, has temporarily suspended new user registrations following a major cyberattack on its services. The platform recently gained significant attention after launching DeepSeek-V3, an AI model claiming to rival U.S. tech giants’ capabilities at lower costs.

The timing of the attack coincided with DeepSeek AI Assistant surpassing ChatGPT as the most downloaded app on Apple’s App Store. While existing users maintain access through their accounts, new registrations are currently restricted. Users can still access the platform using Google account authentication, though this requires sharing basic profile information.

The attack, suspected to be a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS), targets the platform’s API and Web Chat services. DDoS attacks overwhelm systems with excessive traffic, rendering services inoperable until mitigated.

Adding to DeepSeek’s challenges, cybersecurity firm KELA reported security vulnerabilities in the platform’s R1 model. Their investigation revealed the model could be manipulated to generate malicious content, including ransomware development instructions and harmful material.

The incident highlights the growing competition and security challenges in the AI industry, particularly as DeepSeek’s emergence has already impacted U.S. stock markets and intensified the global AI race.

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