DeepSeek and Beyond: Why AppSec is Your Secret Weapon in the Cyberwar

Innovation is driving businesses into new frontiers, but with every leap forward comes a new set of vulnerabilities. Every new technology, every new application, expands the attack surface, offering more opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit.

A recent, high-profile example of this was DeepSeek, an AI startup that made headlines not just for its large language model (LLM) but also for victims falling prey to a massive cyberattack just a week after launch. The “large-scale malicious attack” exploited vulnerabilities within Deepseek’s application layer, crippling the user registration system and preventing new sign-ups.

Applications power everything for modern organizations, from customer portals to internal systems, which is why they have become prime targets for cyberattacks. Even the slightest security weakness can expose sensitive data and quickly escalate into a critical vulnerability.

Startups like DeepSeek face growing cybersecurity challenges as they scale, exposing vulnerabilities in emerging technologies. But they are not alone. The stakes are just as high for established enterprises, intensifying pressure on Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) to secure systems while navigating threats. As the cyberattack landscape continues to shift, the CISOs role is becoming even more challenging.

CISO’s Guide to Application Security

The new whitepaper, From Risk to Resilience: A CISO’s Path to Application Security, delves into the challenges and priorities that security leaders are grappling with today, from the tactics of cyberattacks to the time-consuming task of securing vulnerable systems. It also identifies major trends in cyberattacks across various industries and explains how focusing on application security can assist CISOs in enhancing their organization’s capacity to withstand increasing risk of breaches.

Gain insights from the whitepaper based on a study conducted by HCLTech and The Ponemon Institute, derived from a survey of 1,500 cybersecurity professionals, including CISOs, Chief Information Officers (CIOs), and Chief Technology Officers (CTOs). These represent industry verticals in financial services, telecommunications, retail, healthcare and manufacturing.

Download the full whitepaper here.

Some of the Key Highlights of the Whitepaper Include:

• Past Attacks: 57% of the security leaders have experienced a cyber attack in the past year.
• Future Threats: 81% of the security leaders predicted an attack within the next year.
• Recovery Struggles: 76% of the organizations had difficulty returning to normal operations after the attack.
• Expertise Gap: Only 35% of the security leaders are confident that they have the right level of in-house cybersecurity talent.

These stats reflect the growing urgency for CISOs and other cybersecurity leaders to invest in robust, scalable security solutions. Faced with mounting challenges, many are actively seeking innovative solutions that can automate some of their tasks and simplify security processes.

The Way Forward

DeepSeek’s experience is a clear example that no organization – no matter how innovative or tech-driven – can afford to ignore security risks. It highlights the importance of increasing focus on application security from the development phase instead of waiting for an attack to happen.

Software solutions like HCL AppScan offer CISOs a more proactive approach to application security, making it easier to spot vulnerabilities quickly and manage risks effectively. By adding application security testing and posture management to their cybersecurity strategy, CISOs can save time and resources on fixes, while improving the overall security of their organization.