One of China’s largest short video platforms, Kuaishou, suffered a setback after a cyberattack incident disrupted livestream service, exposing its users to explicit content.
The company made a report to the police following the breach that occurred on Monday evening, an incident that spread across social media, attracting the attention of investors, regulators, and the wider tech industry.
Kuaishou’s users shocked at the data breach
According to reports, the company indicated that its livestream platform was flooded with explicit content, leaving users in shock and questioning how such prohibited data managed to get through all of their safeguards.
Some users stated they had never seen that type of content before on the app. Many users shared screenshots and video clips of what occurred on social media, increasing the public’s concern until moderators were able to intervene and address the situation and remove the affected Kuaishou livestream accounts early Tuesday morning.
The social media company claimed to have contained the issue and had reported it to the police and other pertinent agencies while simultaneously working to suspend the perpetrating accounts and restore proper functionality within the Kuaishou app.
In a public statement issued on Tuesday, Kuaishou stated that the live broadcast function of their platform was a point of concern, adding that they invoked emergency procedures as a result.
The company further committed to eradicating illegal and damaging content from the platform, as well as promising to cooperate with law enforcement investigations into the incident.
Experts on cybersecurity have highlighted that the scale of these attacks is indicative of how the methods used have changed. One expert cited by SMP said that now cybercriminals can create and manage thousands of fake accounts at once, given the availability of automated tools. Resultantly, this makes it difficult for human reviewers to act quickly enough.
“This type of attack will overwhelm traditional methods of verification, because everything occurs nearly instantaneously,” the individual said.
The expert warned that many platforms still depend on manual controls excessively. Another analyst noted that companies need to focus internally as well, because weaknesses regarding internal access will cause greater vulnerabilities to external threats.
The market negatively responded to the cyberattack
As these services were progressively restored, the market was immediately affected by this incident. On Tuesday, Kuaishou shares fell considerably to their lowest point in nearly five weeks, following the announcement on the back of concerns over reputational damage and potential costs related to implementing enhanced security protocols.
The Chinese firm later stated that some parts of the app were not affected, adding it was going to pursue legal action against the perpetrators, signalling a much tougher stance as scrutiny around online content continues to grow in China.
Some reports also indicate that the company is now looking to hire more cybersecurity staff to enhance security. Online posts that were shared insinuated openings for engineers and security specialists, highlighting a wider push to strengthen defences following the attack.
The attack on Kuaishou comes as Chinese regulators are increasing pressure on digital platforms, with authorities calling on companies to remove harmful material and prevent its spread with haste. These have specifically cited content linked to violence, vulgarity, or risks to minors.
As Cryptopolitan reported, regulators recently summoned major tech firms over content violations as part of a broader crackdown on online platforms. The campaign aims to clean up digital spaces and hold companies accountable for what appears on their services.
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