Trove of sensitive DeepSeek data exposed to open internet — cyber firm

Cybersecurity firm Wiz says the exposed data include software keys and chat logs that appeared to capture prompts being sent from users to the company's free AI assistant.

DeepSeek's emergence has raised concerns that China may have overtaken the US in the AI race despite restrictions on its access to the most advanced chips. / Photo: Reuters
Reuters

DeepSeek's emergence has raised concerns that China may have overtaken the US in the AI race despite restrictions on its access to the most advanced chips. / Photo: Reuters

New York-based cybersecurity firm Wiz has said it has found a trove of sensitive data from the Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek inadvertently exposed to the open internet.

In a blog post published on Wednesday, Wiz said that scans of DeepSeek's infrastructure showed that the company had accidentally left more than a million lines of data available unsecured.

Those included digital software keys and chat logs that appeared to capture prompts being sent from users to the company's free AI assistant.

"More critically, the exposure allowed for full database control and potential privilege escalation within the DeepSeek environment, without any authentication or defence mechanism to the outside world," the blog post said.

Wiz's chief technology officer said DeepSeek quickly secured the data after his firm alerted them.

"They took it down in less than an hour," Ami Luttwak said. "But this was so simple to find we believe we're not the only ones who found it."

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Can China’s low-cost and open-source DeepSeek democratise the AI scene?

Thrill and anxiety

DeepSeek's practically overnight success following the launch of its AI assistant has thrilled China and sparked anxiety in America.

Its emergence has raised concerns that China may have overtaken the US in the AI race despite restrictions on its access to the most advanced chips.

The Chinese company's apparent ability to match OpenAI's capabilities at a much lower cost has posed questions over the sustainability of the business models and profit margins of US AI giants such as Nvidia and Microsoft.

By Monday, it had overtaken US rival ChatGPT in downloads from Apple's App Store, triggering a global selloff in tech shares.

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