Study: Chinese hackers use DeepSeek and other AI tools to expand cyber attacks

A new study reported by Lianhe Zaobao finds that Chinese hackers are using DeepSeek and other AI tools to expand their cyber attacks.

According to the report, the study directly links large language models such as DeepSeek to a widening of cyber attack operations, arguing that AI tools are lowering the technical barrier to entry and allowing attackers to launch larger campaigns at lower cost.

DeepSeek, one of the most widely used Chinese AI models, has drawn attention from security researchers for its accessibility even as it powers a broad range of legitimate applications.

For the security industry, the findings underscore that AI is now both a defensive and an offensive tool, and that threat monitoring must account for AI-assisted attacks.

For regulators, AI-driven cyber attacks raise a new governance question: how to balance openness with control over powerful models.

What to watch next: the full methodology and details of the study, how DeepSeek and other AI vendors respond to misuse concerns, and whether the security community rolls out targeted defenses.