Happening Now-China blames US hackers for DeepSeek cyber strike, calls it a brute force attack
As ON going Cyber hacking attacks continue between China and America since the born of China "DeepSeek" AI Start-Up....
China’s AI start-up DeepSeek has faced a significant cyberattack, which is believed to have originated from the United States.
According to China's state broadcaster CCTV, the attack began on January 3 and reached its peak on Monday and Tuesday, with a major brute-force effort coming from U.S.-based IP addresses.
The cyberattack targeted DeepSeek, which had recently launched an AI assistant model designed to operate at a lower cost compared to existing U.S. counterparts. The cyberattack escalated quickly, raising concerns about the security of DeepSeek's operations and the broader impact on China’s growing AI industry.
Brute-force attacks and Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS)
The attack on DeepSeek came in multiple stages. Early on, the company faced Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, as reported by South China Morning Post. These attacks work by overwhelming a system with excessive internet traffic, making it difficult for servers to function properly.
According to experts from XLab (via Global Times), a Chinese cybersecurity firm, the cyberattacks have intensified both in scale and complexity. The DDoS attacks were the initial phase, but they soon gave way to brute-force attempts. These brute-force attacks aimed to crack user IDs and passwords, potentially allowing the attackers to access DeepSeek’s platform and understand its underlying AI technology.
A brute-force attack involves systematically testing all possible password combinations until the correct one is found. Once an attacker gains access to user accounts, they can impersonate legitimate users and gain insight into how the system works.
Wang Hui, a cybersecurity expert from QAX Technology Group, told CCTV, “All the attack IPs were recorded, all are from the US.” This statement highlights the geographic origins of the assault, which were traced back to the U.S.
XLab’s reports indicate that the source of these attacks has been widespread, with IPs coming from the U.S., Singapore, the Netherlands, Germany, and even domestically within China. These findings paint a picture of a sophisticated and well-coordinated assault on DeepSeek's growing platform.
In response to the cyberattacks, DeepSeek made the decision to limit new registrations to users with mainland Chinese mobile numbers. This move was necessary due to the significant registration issues caused by the ongoing attacks.
DeepSeek's impact and the U.S. response
The timing of the cyberattack coincides with the launch of DeepSeek’s open-source AI assistant, which has caused a stir in the global AI community.
The model, which was released on January 10, has been lauded for its ability to deliver similar performance to the most advanced closed-source models, but at a fraction of the cost. This development marked a significant milestone in the AI race and has drawn the attention of U.S. policymakers.
In response to the launch of DeepSeek’s AI, the U.S. government expressed concerns over the potential misuse of American AI technology. Howard Lutnick, President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of commerce, was particularly vocal about the issue during a Senate confirmation hearing.
“I do not believe that DeepSeek was done all above board. That’s nonsense,” Lutnick stated. “I’m going to be rigorous in our pursuit of restrictions and enforcing those restrictions to keep us in the lead.” This sentiment reflects a broader concern in the U.S. about China’s rapid advancements in AI.
David Sacks, the White House’s AI and crypto chief, also raised concerns about DeepSeek's distillation process in an interview with Fox News. The distillation process involves using an older, more established AI model to improve the quality of answers from a newer model, thereby cutting down on the development costs typically associated with creating such advanced systems.
The concern from U.S. officials is that DeepSeek may have benefited from American AI technologies without the same level of investment.
https://www.amazon.com/Africircle-AfriPrime/dp/B0D2M3F2JT
DeepSeek might have a trademark problem in the US
Chinese AI company DeepSeek has been accused of IP theft, faced privacy inquiries in Europe, and has been the target of an enormous cyberattack. Now, it appears the company has a new headache on its hands: a U.S. trademark conflict.
On Tuesday, DeepSeek filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) seeking to trademark its AI chatbot apps, products, and tools. But it was a hair too late. Thirty-six hours earlier, another firm had filed for the trademark "DeepSeek": a Delaware-based company going by the name "Delson Group Inc."
Delson Group asserts that it has been selling DeepSeek-branded AI products since early 2020. In its application, the company lists its address as a home in Cupertino, and its CEO and founder as a person named Willie Lu.
Lu, who coincidentally graduated from the same university as DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng, Zhejiang University, claims on his LinkedIn profile to be a "semi-retired" consulting professor at Stanford and an FCC advisor. Lu seems to have spent most of his career in the wireless industry. Other web pages TechCrunch uncovered through the email address listed in the trademark filing mention Lu's lectures and training courses on wireless standards.
Lu also hosts a "DeepSeek" educational course in Las Vegas on "AI Super-Intelligence," starting at $800 a ticket — which features prominently on the website linked in Delson Group's trademark filing. The website claims that Lu has "about 30 years' expertise in ICT [information and communications technology] and AI fields."
When reached for comment at the trademark filing email, Lu told TechCrunch that he would be willing to "meet and talk" in Palo Alto or Saratoga. (This reporter is based in NYC.) Lu didn't respond to a follow-up request.
A search for "Delson Group" in the USPTO's Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Inquiry System turns up more than two dozen disputes between Lu and organizations, including the GSMA, Tencent, and TracFone Wireless. Delson has abandoned some of the trademarks it filed for, or otherwise canceled its pending applications.
A broader search using the USPTO's Trademark Search tool yields a list of 28 trademarks registered under Delson, a few of which are brands belonging to major Chinese companies. Delson has a trademark for "Geely," for example, the Chinese automotive firm, and "China Mobile," the Hong Kong-based telecommunications provider.
The pattern suggests a history of trademark squatting — registering a trademark with the intention of selling it later or riding on a brand's popularity. In one of the best-known examples of trademark squatting, Chinese businessman Zhan Baosheng successfully trademarked the English name "Tesla" in China, as well as Tesla's "T" logo, font, and Chinese transliterated name. (Baosheng later settled with Tesla for an undisclosed amount.)
Be that as it may, DeepSeek's options are quite limited at this juncture. Under U.S. law, the very first user of a trademark is typically considered that trademark's rightful owner, unless it can be proven that the trademark was registered in bad faith.
"While DeepSeek could potentially seek a coexistence agreement if they can prove they operate in different aspects of AI than Delson Group, the U.S. company has several advantages," Josh Gerben, an attorney and the founder of Gerben IP, a law practice specializing in IP issues, told TechCrunch. "They filed first, they claim earlier use — 2020 versus DeepSeek's claimed 2023 start date — [and] they have a live website showing AI-related activities, including training events."
Gerben said that Delson Group might even be able to claim "reverse confusion" due to DeepSeek's rapid rise to prominence, or sue to block DeepSeek from continuing to use its brand name in the U.S.
"DeepSeek may actually have a trademark problem in the United States where there could be this prior rights holder — Delson Group — and that prior rights holder may have a very good case for trademark infringement," Gerben said.
It wouldn't be the first time an AI company has run up against trademark headwinds.
OpenAI failed to trademark "GPT" last February after the USPTO ruled that the term was too generic. Over the past several months, OpenAI has also been fighting technologist and entrepreneur Guy Ravine for the right to use "Open AI," which Ravine claims he pitched as a part of an "open source" AI vision around 2015 — OpenAI’s founding year.
- Questions and Answers
- Opinion
- Motivational and Inspiring Story
- Technology
- True & Inspiring Quotes
- Live and Let live
- Art
- Causes
- Crafts
- Dance
- Drinks
- Film/Movie
- Fitness
- Food
- Jogos
- Gardening
- Health
- Início
- Literature
- Music
- Networking
- Outro
- Party
- Religion
- Shopping
- Sports
- Theater
- Wellness
- News
- Culture
- Military Equipments
Chinese
English
Arabic
French
Spanish
Deutsch
Turkish
Dutch
Italiano
Russian
Romaian
Portuguese (Brazil)
Greek