DeepSeek faces large-scale cyber attack, forcing it to temporarily limit registrations

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is facing a large-scale cyber attack that has led to the temporary suspension of new user registrations. The move comes after millions of users flocked to the Apple App Store, driving the app to surpass OpenAI’s ChatGPT as the most downloaded free app in the United 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,” DeepSeek said on its status page.

Currently, the company is only accepting registrations from users with mainland China mobile phone numbers. Existing users, however, can still access their accounts without any issues.

This sudden surge in traffic comes after DeepSeek’s AI chatbot gained significant attention for its ability to outperform the latest AI models from OpenAI and Meta Platforms Inc.—and all at a much lower cost. The rapid popularity has triggered a ripple effect, contributing to a reported $1 trillion drop in U.S. and European tech stocks.

While DeepSeek has yet to confirm how long the restrictions will last, it has a history of resolving service disruptions within hours. The company’s status page indicated issues with its API earlier in the day and on Sunday.