👋 Good morning, folks!
It’s Wednesday, April 23rd, and you’re plugged into The Daily Threat. Our top story today dives into a serious data exposure by AI company DeepSeek that’s turning heads across the cybersecurity world. Plus, we’ve got news on AI-powered phishing campaigns and an urgent patch for a critical VPN vulnerability.
🧨 Today’s Top Story: DeepSeek Exposes Over a Million Records in Public Database
What Happened:
Security researchers at Wiz discovered a ClickHouse database belonging to Chinese AI company DeepSeek that was left completely unprotected on the internet—no password, no firewall. The result? Over one million records containing chat logs, API keys, backend metadata, and more were exposed to the public for weeks. The data included operational commands, backend models, and sensitive client interaction details.
Why It Matters:
As more companies integrate AI into their core products, the infrastructure behind these tools is becoming a high-value target. This breach not only raises concerns about DeepSeek’s security posture, but also serves as a warning to every organization using generative AI platforms. Mishandled credentials and configurations can unravel years of trust and open the floodgates for more targeted attacks.
What You Can Do:
Audit Cloud and Database Access: Make sure nothing is left publicly accessible unless it absolutely must be.
Enforce Role-Based Access Controls: Limit sensitive systems and data to only those who need it.
Rotate Credentials Regularly: Especially API keys and service tokens that may have been exposed.
⚡ Quick Hits
🎣 AI-Powered Phishing Is Here
A new wave of phishing emails is being crafted by generative AI models to mirror the tone and structure of corporate emails. They’re smarter, more convincing, and harder to detect with traditional filters. It’s time to double down on employee phishing training and advanced threat detection.
🔐 VPN Zero-Day Patched After Active Exploitation
A critical zero-day in a widely used enterprise VPN platform was patched yesterday following reports of active exploitation in the wild. The vulnerability allowed attackers to run code remotely—if your organization uses any remote access tools, patch now.
🧩 Did you know?
Publicly exposed cloud assets are one of the most common causes of major data breaches—and many stay open for months before discovery. Misconfiguration, not malware, is today’s #1 cyber villain.
🛡️ Expert Insight
“DeepSeek’s breach is a prime example of how innovation without security can backfire. Companies must treat AI infrastructure with the same scrutiny as financial systems—because the stakes are just as high.”
— Sarah Lin, CTO, Sentinel Cyber Defense
👋 That’s it for today!
Help a friend dodge the next cyber headline—share The Daily Threat and spread the knowledge. For more updates, hit up dailythreat.com. Stay sharp, stay secure.
📚 Still here? Want to dig in deeper? Here’s external story references: