Circles
Circles is an Israel-attributed cybercrime syndicate with a financial motive, tracked by Brandefense. It targets organisations in 24 countries, including Australia and Indonesia.
- Origin
- Israel
- Techniques
- 0
- Exploited CVEs
- No CVE data
- First seen
- Jan 1, 2015
- Record updated
Who They Target.
About Circles.
Circles is a surveillance firm that reportedly exploits weaknesses in the global mobile phone system to snoop on calls, texts, and the location of phones around the globe. Circles is affiliated with NSO Group, which develops the oft-abused Pegasus spyware. Circles, whose products work without hacking the phone itself, says they sell only to nation-states. According to leaked documents, Circles customers can purchase a system that they connect to their local telecommunications companies’ infrastructure, or can use a separate system called the “Circles Cloud,” which interconnects with telecommunications companies around the world. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, all U.S. wireless networks are vulnerable to the types of weaknesses reportedly exploited by Circles. A majority of networks around the globe are similarly vulnerable. This scanning enabled us to identify Circles deployments in at least 25 countries. While companies selling exploitation of the global cellular system tend to operate in secrecy, one company has emerged as a known player: Circles.
Last updated Sep 11, 2026. Compiled by Brandefense technologies from structured threat intelligence and reviewed by Brandefense analysts. Techniques follow the MITRE ATT&CK framework.