The term 'advanced persistent threat' can also refer to non-state-sponsored groups conducting large-scale targeted intrusions for specific goals.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by Wikipedia and independently corroborated by multiple cybersecurity industry sources (Cybereason, SailPoint) using nearly identical language, indicating broad consensus on the terminology's scope. [tier=unverified indep_score=0.3 clusters=2 claim_tier=notable] [rescored 2026-09-15: curated origin-host map (PR #65); unclassified hosts no longer scored as aggregators]
Sources
- Advanced persistent threat (wikipedia)
- https://www.cybereason.com/blog/advanced-persistent-threat-apt (corroboration)
- https://www.sailpoint.com/identity-library/advanced-persistent-threat (corroboration)