Knownsec

Knownsec, a Beijing-based cybersecurity firm with reported ties to the Chinese military, suffered a **massive data breach** exposing over **12,000 confidential documents**. The leaked files allegedly include sensitive details about **state-linked hacking operations**, potentially compromising intelligence methodologies, tools, and operational strategies used by Chinese cyber units. The breach not only risks exposing **government-affiliated cyber activities** but also undermines trust in Knownsec’s ability to secure critical data. Given the firm’s military connections, the incident could have **geopolitical repercussions**, including counterintelligence responses from adversarial nations. The exposure of such documents may enable foreign actors to **reverse-engineer attack techniques**, identify vulnerabilities in Chinese cyber infrastructure, or attribute past incidents more accurately. The reputational damage to Knownsec is severe, as clients—including state entities—may question its competence in safeguarding high-stakes information. The breach’s scale and the nature of the exposed data suggest **long-term strategic consequences** beyond immediate operational fallout.

Source: https://www.teiss.co.uk/news/news-scroller/chinese-cybersecurity-firm-knownsec-suffers-massive-data-breach-exposing-state-linked-hacking-operations-16680

Beijing Zhidao Chuangyu Information Technology Co., Ltd. cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/knownsec

"id": "kno4133041111125",
"linkid": "knownsec",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "5/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "6",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the economy of geographical region"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Information Security',
                        'location': 'Beijing, China',
                        'name': 'Knownsec',
                        'type': 'Cybersecurity Firm'}],
 'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes',
                 'number_of_records_exposed': '12,000+',
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (military-linked operations)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Confidential documents',
                                              'State-linked hacking '
                                              'operations']},
 'description': 'A major cybersecurity incident in China exposed more than '
                '12,000 confidential documents from Knownsec, a Beijing-based '
                'information security company with links to the Chinese '
                'military.',
 'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'High (exposure of state-linked '
                                       'operations)',
            'data_compromised': ['12,000+ confidential documents']},
 'title': 'Knownsec Massive Data Breach Exposing State-Linked Hacking '
          'Operations',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}