Data Leak Exposes TopSec's Role in China's Censorship-as-a-Service Operations
Feb 21, 2025
Surveillance / Content Monitoring
An analysis of a data leak from a Chinese cybersecurity company TopSec has revealed that it likely offers censorship-as-a-service solutions to prospective customers, including a state-owned enterprise in the country. Founded in 1995, TopSec ostensibly offers services such as Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and vulnerability scanning. But it's also providing "boutique" solutions in order to align with government initiatives and intelligence requirements, SentinelOne researchers Alex Delamotte and Aleksandar Milenkoski said in a report shared with The Hacker News. The data leak contains infrastructure details and work logs from employees, as well as references to web content monitoring services used to enforce censorship for public and private sector customers. It's believed that the company provided bespoke monitoring services to a state-owned enterprise hit by a corruption scandal, indicating that such platforms are being used to monitor and control public...