DeepSeek forced to pause new signups following large scale cyberattack

(Image credit: Future)

DeepSeek says it is suffering from a huge cyberattack
The attack has prevented new users from registering
A DDoS attack is rumored to be the cause of the outage

DeepSeek has had to temporarily pause new signups to its generative AI chatbot due to “large-scale malicious attacks” against the platform.

The open source model was recently released to the public, causing ripples across the technology industry, sending US markets into freefall.

The relatively new platform has shot to number one on the US app store, replacing ChatGPT as the most popular free app, and has been rumored to have cost as little as $5.6 million to develop.

No new users

This growth has apparently resulted in some unwanted attention, and DeepSeek has not shared any details about the attack, but due to the systems the attack is affecting, it is possibly a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack against the platform’s API and Web Chat services.

The DeepSeek status page simply states, “Due to large-scale malicious attacks on DeepSeek's services, we are temporarily limiting registrations to ensure continued service. Existing users can log in as usual. Thanks for your understanding and support.”

While registering for new users is currently unavailable the service can still be accessed by signing in with a Google account, with a user's email, language preference and profile picture being shared with DeepSeek in return.

Despite numerous sanctions enacted by the Biden administration aimed at depriving China of the latest semiconductors, initial tests suggest that the DeepSeek model outperforms its US counterparts despite being developed for a fraction of the cost.

Being released as open source means that the model is free to download and use by other AI developers, significantly disrupting the AI market in the US and causing huge sell-offs of shares in US tech companies. Whether the US will face this new-found competition in the AI arms race with innovation or increased sanctions remains to be seen.

Via CNBC

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Benedict has been writing about security issues for over 7 years, first focusing on geopolitics and international relations while at the University of Buckingham. During this time he studied BA Politics with Journalism, for which he received a second-class honours (upper division), then continuing his studies at a postgraduate level, achieving a distinction in MA Security, Intelligence and Diplomacy. Upon joining TechRadar Pro as a Staff Writer, Benedict transitioned his focus towards cybersecurity, exploring state-sponsored threat actors, malware, social engineering, and national security. Benedict is also an expert on B2B security products, including firewalls, antivirus, endpoint security, and password management.