China Accuses US of Cyberattack That Disrupted DeepSeek AI

[Social Media]

 

A major cyberattack that forced DeepSeek to halt new registrations for its groundbreaking AI model, R1, originated in the United States, according to Chinese state media. The attack, which targeted user credentials and attempted to breach the system, came just days after DeepSeek’s rapid rise in popularity sent shockwaves through the Western tech industry.  

 

 

DeepSeek, a Chinese startup, introduced its AI model, R1, last week, immediately drawing global attention. The model quickly climbed to the top of Apple’s free app downloads, surpassing OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Unlike its Western counterparts, DeepSeek claims to have developed its model at a fraction of the cost, using significantly less computing power and avoiding reliance on expensive Nvidia chips.  

 

As reports emerged over the weekend that R1 rivaled the most advanced AI models from tech giants like OpenAI, Google, and Meta—while also being open-source and cost-effective—investors reacted sharply. The fear of competition triggered a massive sell-off in companies such as Nvidia and Oracle, leading to a near-trillion-dollar loss in the U.S. stock market on Monday. Nvidia, a key supplier of AI training chips, was among the hardest hit.  

 

On Tuesday, DeepSeek announced it had been targeted by a large-scale cyberattack. The company responded by restricting new registrations, allowing only users with Chinese phone numbers to sign up while barring international accounts. A notice on its app informed users that the attack was ongoing but did not specify its origin. “Due to large-scale malicious attacks on DeepSeek's services, we are temporarily limiting registrations to ensure continued service,” the message read. “Existing users can log in as usual. Thanks for your understanding and support.” By Wednesday, DeepSeek confirmed it had identified the issue and was working on a fix.  

 

Shortly after, Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account linked to China’s state broadcaster CCTV, claimed the cyberattack had been traced to the United States. Citing the Chinese cybersecurity firm QAX Technology Group, the report described an initial wave of attacks aimed at overwhelming DeepSeek’s servers with excessive traffic. Later attacks reportedly became more targeted, using brute-force methods to crack user passwords in an effort to analyze the AI model’s functionality.  

 

“All the attack IPs were recorded, all are from the US,” said Wang Hui, a cybersecurity expert at QAX, in a statement to CCTV.  

The accusations add to ongoing tensions between China and the U.S. in the field of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, where competition over technological supremacy continues to escalate.

 

Based on a report by The Independent 2025-01-31

 

 

[Watawattana]

If true and not just stupid politics, perhaps the word "hypocrisy" could be used?

[John Drake]

I think I know who did it.

 

https://tech.caltech.edu/img/2024/nov12/hannibal.png

[candide]

Well, we can assume it's not Russiaĺ

[oustaristocrats]

51 minutes ago, John Drake said:

I think I know who did it.

 

https://tech.caltech.edu/img/2024/nov12/hannibal.png

 

Yes, I also think it was him (on order from the big leader and his tech compagnons) :)

[CanadaSam]

The US stock market lost a TRILLION dollars almost overnight due to this new AI startup.

 

Some retaliation was expected, either from the Gov't or companies affected, Nvidia, etc.

[WDSmart]

I hope this attack didn't come from the USA, and more than that, I hope if it did, that our government was not involved in it.

[Centigrade32]

1 minute ago, WDSmart said:

I hope this attack didn't come from the USA, and more than that, I hope if it did, that our government was not involved in it.

 

Why do you hope that? They are constantly hacking and sabotaging each other. There's no real friendliness. Not ever. War is no longer only on the battlefield.

[WDSmart]

2 minutes ago, Centigrade32 said:

7 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

I hope this attack didn't come from the USA, and more than that, I hope if it did, that our government was not involved in it.

 

Why do you hope that? They are constantly hacking and sabotaging each other. There's no real friendliness. Not ever. War is no longer only on the battlefield.

I hope that because hacking into an app diminishes its ability to provide services to its users. Also, it's illegal. All such activity should be penalized. 

[Centigrade32]

1 minute ago, WDSmart said:

I hope that because hacking into an app diminishes its ability to provide services to its users. Also, it's illegal. All such activity should be penalized. 

 

Who is going to penalise them? They are ALL doing it.

[WDSmart]

2 minutes ago, Centigrade32 said:

4 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

I hope that because hacking into an app diminishes its ability to provide services to its users. Also, it's illegal. All such activity should be penalized. 

 

Who is going to penalise them? They are ALL doing it.

The USA should penalize hackers in the USA, and other countries should penalize hackers in their own countries. If a foreign government is found to be doing the hacking, they should be penalized by the country of the app they've hacked. An example of such a penalty would be limiting that country's access to your country's Internet activity.

[Centigrade32]

29 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

The USA should penalize hackers in the USA, and other countries should penalize hackers in their own countries. If a foreign government is found to be doing the hacking, they should be penalized by the country of the app they've hacked. An example of such a penalty would be limiting that country's access to your country's Internet activity.

 

You are dreaming. Hackers are actively encouraged, as long as they aren't hacking domestically. Hacking. Reverse engineering. Par for the course. That's our world.

I don't know if you've noticed, but that is exactly what China, Russia, North Korea are doing. Limiting Western control over their systems in the first place.

[WDSmart]

2 minutes ago, Centigrade32 said:

 

You are dreaming. Hackers are actively encouraged, as long as they aren't hacking domestically. Hacking. Reverse engineering. Par for the course. That's our world.

I don't know if you've noticed, but that is exactly what China, Russia, North Korea are doing. Limiting Western control over their systems in the first place.

Well, if we (USA) believe hacking our apps are wrong, then we shouldn't do it to any other country, and we should penalize those in the USA who do. And, as I've said before, we should penalize countries who hack (or allow hacking) of our apps. 

[Centigrade32]

4 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

Well, if we (USA) believe hacking our apps are wrong, then we shouldn't do it to any other country, and we should penalize those in the USA who do. And, as I've said before, we should penalize countries who hack (or allow hacking) of our apps. 

 

Is this a joke stance? Are you really that naive about what goes on? Have you read about any Chinese, Russian or North Korean hackers being prosecuted in their own countries for hacking outside their country? They are actively protected. If you believe that the USA does not behave in a similar fashion, then I don't know what to tell you.

How many Americans have been prosecuted by the USA for hacking anything in China or Russia? Have you even ever heard of such an instance?

[WDSmart]

2 minutes ago, Centigrade32 said:

 

Is this a joke stance? Are you really that naive about what goes on? Have you read about any Chinese, Russian or North Korean hackers being prosecuted in their own countries for hacking outside their country? They are actively protected.

No joke. If we want to eliminate hackers, we must first eliminate our hackers. If we don't do that, we have no right to complain about some other country doing it to us.