Deepseek AI says 'large-scale, malicious' cyberattack is limiting registration

Existing users can still log on.
 By 
Chance Townsend
 on 
A DeepSeek artificial intelligence app logo on a mobile
Credit: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images

DeepSeek AI, the hottest name in generative AI right now, says it’s weathering "large-scale malicious attacks" after becoming the most-downloaded app on Apple’s App Store, overtaking OpenAI’s ChatGPT in the process.

The China-based AI startup has experienced explosive growth over the past week, drawing comparisons to the viral launch of ChatGPT itself. DeepSeek AI's open-source large language model (LLM), DeepSeek R1, claims to boast performance that rivals its Western competitors — allegedly at half the cost and with significantly less computing power, too.

A massive migration of users to DeepSeek’s platform, available as a free web app and on iOS and Android, has strained its infrastructure. Alleged cyberattacks have only added to the strain, forcing the company to temporarily limit new registrations, as noted on its status page.


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DeepSeek has not elaborated on the nature or scale of the attacks and did not immediately respond to Mashable's request for comment.

Headshot of a Black man
Chance Townsend
Assistant Editor, General Assignments

Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master's in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and Mother Jones.

In his free time, he cooks, loves to sleep, and greatly enjoys Detroit sports. If you have any tips or want to talk shop about the Lions, you can reach out to him on Bluesky @offbrandchance.bsky.social or by email at [email protected].

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