DeepSeek’s Sensitive Data Leaked Online Due to Vulnerability

A Chinese AI startup, DeepSeek, has been accidentally leaking sensitive data online, according to a cyber security company. New York-based Wiz claims that it discovered the vulnerability that caused the leak and reported that over a million lines of data, including software keys and user chat logs, were left unsecured.

The Leak

In a blog post, Wiz says that a database belonging to DeepSeek is publicly accessible online and allows full control over database operations, including the ability to access internal data. The company claims that it found a publicly accessible ClickHouse database linked to DeepSeek, completely open and unauthenticated, exposing sensitive data.

Response from DeepSeek

However, according to Wiz CTO Ami Luttwak, DeepSeek responded quickly to the alert and secured the data within an hour. Luttwak stated, "They took it down in less than an hour. But this was so simple to find we believe we’re not the only ones who found it."

Exposed Data

The exposure includes over a million lines of log streams with highly sensitive information. The database contained a significant volume of chat history, backend data, and sensitive information, including log streams, API Secrets, and operational details.

Context

This incident comes on the heels of DeepSeek’s rapid rise to prominence in the AI field. The company’s DeepSeek AI Assistant has gained immense popularity, surpassing even OpenAI’s ChatGPT in App Store downloads. The success has been attributed to the company’s ability to deliver comparable performance to its US rivals at a significantly lower cost, leading to a wipeout of about $1 trillion from US stocks on Monday (January 27).

Published Date and Time

The article was published on January 31, 2025, at 09:41 AM IST.

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