Intensified Cyberattacks on DeepSeek Reported

On January 30, an analysis by the cybersecurity firm XLab revealed a notable increase in targeted cyberattacks against the Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek.

XLab noted in a report that at least two bot networks were involved in the attacks that took place on that day, which occurred in two phases during the early hours.

Since January 3, DeepSeek has been facing sustained and large-scale DDoS attacks. These operations have escalated recently, following the rise of DeepSeek’s newly developed AI model to the top of the world's most downloaded applications. This development has created a geopolitical and commercial shock, highlighting China's advancements in technology despite the sanctions imposed by Washington and its allies.

DDoS attacks are characterized by multiple bots inundating an application or website in an effort to overwhelm it and block genuine users.

After nearly a month of continuous monitoring, XLab stated that the nature of the assaults on DeepSeek has been evolving. Initially, the attacks were easy to mitigate amplification attacks. However, by January 28, they had transformed into more complex HTTP proxy attacks, which target the application layer and are harder to defend against, culminating in bot-based attacks.

"The attackers are employing various techniques and methods to target DeepSeek," cautioned XLab, adding that the existence of bot networks indicates that the perpetrators are likely professionals.

Even former President Donald Trump remarked on the situation, stating that the emergence of DeepSeek is a wake-up call for Silicon Valley. In his early days as president, Trump had pushed initiatives to support the AI and cryptocurrency industries.

"The launch of DeepSeek's AI by a Chinese company should alert our industries that we need to focus on competing to win," Trump declared.

cybersecurity, DDoS, AI