Earth Lusca
aka FishMonger, Aquatic Panda, Charcoal Typhoon, TAG-22, CHROMIUM, i-Soon
An espionage group said to be run by the Chinese security contractor i-Soon. It targets governments, religious groups, NGOs and think tanks around the world.
- Alert level
- 1/ 5
- Reports & advisories (90 days)
- 2
- Known exploited CVEs
- 0
- Personal data leaked (disclosed)
- None confirmed
Attribution
- Assessed as operated by Chinese contractor I-SOON — ESET
- Charged i-Soon staff, alleging hacking on behalf of China's MPS and MSS — US Department of Justice
How they attack
Inside
Stealing passwords to move around
Like finding a key ring in one room and using it to open every other room in the building.
Inside
Hiding inside legitimate software
Like slipping through the gate right behind someone with a real employee badge.
Goal
Hacking to order
Like a private-eye firm hired to quietly collect a named person's letters.
Recent articles
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