Confucius
aka Confucius APT
A spy group that targets military, government and defense figures in South Asia, especially Pakistan. In 2025 it shifted from document-stealing tools to remote-control backdoors.
- Alert level
- 1/ 5
- Reports & advisories (90 days)
- 0
- Known exploited CVEs
- 0
- Personal data leaked (disclosed)
- None confirmed
Attribution
- Cyber espionage group targeting military and government in South Asia — MITRE ATT&CK
How they attack
Entry
Targeted phishing emails
Like a letter that seems to come from a colleague, with an envelope that springs a trap when opened.
Inside
Sideloading a fake component
Like slipping a look-alike fake tool into a trusted craftsman's toolbox.
Goal
Long-term spying
Like leaving a tiny bug in the meeting room and listening in for months.
Sources
Attributions are quoted as assessed by governments and security vendors. VulnPulse does not make attributions itself.
Leak counts only add up figures disclosed by the affected companies or authorities, never the attackers' own claims. We do not list victim names or link to leak sites.
The alert level is calculated automatically from reports and advisories in the last 90 days, known exploited vulnerabilities, and whether the group has targeted Japan.
Updated 2026-10-23 · daily