Cyberattacks on DeepSeek Surge 100x as Botnets Enter the Fight

Cyberattacks on DeepSeek Surge 100x as Botnets Enter the Fight

Emma had been eagerly waiting to try DeepSeek’s latest open-source model. As an AI enthusiast, she was fascinated by DeepSeek-R1’s reasoning capabilities and the promise of Janus-Pro’s advanced multimodal processing, which reportedly outperformed OpenAI in benchmark tests. The moment she heard about it, she rushed to download the app, excited to push the boundaries of AI-generated insights.

But instead of diving into a futuristic AI experience, Emma hit a wall. Every attempt to create an account was met with frustrating “System Not Available” messages. At first, she assumed it was just a temporary glitch. But as the hours turned into days, she kept encountering the same dead end. Searching online, she realized she wasn’t alone—AI enthusiasts worldwide were locked out of DeepSeek’s services with no clear explanation.

DeepSeek Under Attack—Botnets Shut the Doors

What Emma and thousands of others didn’t know was that DeepSeek wasn’t suffering from routine technical issues—it was under full-scale cyberattack. Since early January, cybercriminals had been bombarding the platform with distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, overwhelming DeepSeek’s infrastructure with waves of malicious traffic. According to cybersecurity firm XLab, the attacks started small but quickly escalated. By Thursday, botnets had joined the assault, multiplying the attack intensity more than 100 times.

Botnets—networks of hijacked computers remotely controlled by attackers—are a signature weapon of professional cybercriminals. XLab identified two notorious botnets, HailBot and RapperBot, as key players in the attack. These botnets aren’t amateurs; they specialize in large-scale, for-hire cyber offensives, launching relentless DDoS attacks against global targets. Their involvement suggests that this isn’t just a random attack—someone has paid to cripple DeepSeek.

Who Would Want to Take Down DeepSeek?

The mystery deepens: who benefits from keeping DeepSeek offline? Experts are divided, but three key theories have emerged:

• Rival AI Companies – DeepSeek’s rapid rise and its claims of outperforming OpenAI could threaten established industry leaders. A competitor with deep pockets might see value in stalling DeepSeek’s momentum.
• Geopolitical Interests – AI has become a battleground for global tech supremacy. DeepSeek, as a Chinese company making open-source breakthroughs, might be viewed as a strategic threat by certain state actors or intelligence agencies.
• Cybercrime for Hire – The botnets used in the attack are known DDoS-for-hire services, meaning an individual or organization with financial motives could have ordered the attack for reasons that remain unknown.

“This attack bears the hallmarks of a well-funded operation,” says Michael Carter, a cybersecurity analyst specializing in AI infrastructure threats. “When you see coordinated botnet activity like this, it’s not just random hackers playing around—it’s a targeted disruption with real stakes.”

AI's Future Faces a Cybersecurity Reality Check

Emma’s frustration mirrors a growing concern in the AI community: What happens when groundbreaking AI projects become prime targets for cyber warfare? DeepSeek’s decision to release its technology as open-source was widely praised, but now, it’s clear that openness comes with significant risks. The company was forced to restrict new registrations to users with +86 mobile numbers, cutting off access to Emma and thousands of others around the world.

This move highlights a troubling reality—if cyberattacks can easily shut down AI platforms, the future of artificial intelligence may be dictated not by innovation, but by resilience against digital sabotage.

How AI Companies Can Fight Back

As cyber threats escalate, AI startups must take proactive measures to defend against increasingly sophisticated attacks. Experts suggest:

• Cloud-Based Anti-DDoS Services – Leveraging providers like Cloudflare, AWS Shield, or Google Cloud Armor can help absorb attack traffic before it reaches critical infrastructure.
• Decentralized Hosting Strategies – Relying on a distributed infrastructure can make it harder for attackers to shut down operations entirely.
• Stronger Cybersecurity Alliances – AI companies should collaborate on shared threat intelligence, similar to how financial institutions monitor and counter fraud attempts collectively.

DeepSeek’s battle is far from over, but the broader question remains: Is this the future of AI security? Will every breakthrough innovation face an immediate and relentless cyberattack?

For Emma and thousands of eager AI users, the answer can’t come soon enough. 🚀

Source:  Global Times - Cyberattacks against DeepSeek escalate with botnets joining, command surging over 100 times

Image:  Gemini