Earth Kurma APT (also known as Earth Kurma) is a state-sponsored advanced persistent threat group attributed to China (suspected), active since 2020. The group primarily targets Southeast Asian government, telecom sectors.
Overview & Attribution
Advanced APT targeting Southeast Asian governments with rootkit-level persistence, kernel-mode implants, and cloud-based exfiltration via Dropbox and OneDrive.
Earth Kurma APT has been active since 2020, attributed to China (suspected). The group is known for targeting Southeast Asian government, telecom using a combination of custom malware, living-off-the-land techniques, and sophisticated social engineering.
- Attribution: China (suspected)
- Active since: 2020
- Primary targets: Southeast Asian government, telecom
- Also known as: Earth Kurma
Arsenal & Tools
Earth Kurma APT employs a diverse arsenal of custom and shared tooling:
- TESDAT: Custom/shared tooling used in operations
- SIMPOBOXSPY: Custom/shared tooling used in operations
- KRNRAT: Custom/shared tooling used in operations
- MORIYA rootkit: Custom/shared tooling used in operations
Targeting & Operations
The group focuses on Southeast Asian government, telecom sectors, with operations spanning multiple geographic regions. Their campaigns typically involve carefully crafted spearphishing, strategic watering holes, and exploitation of public-facing applications.
Earth Kurma APT is characterized by persistent, long-term access operations. Once inside a target network, the group establishes multiple redundant persistence mechanisms and moves laterally to high-value systems before beginning data exfiltration.
MITRE ATT&CK Mapping
| Tactic | Technique | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Execution | T1059.001 PowerShell | Post-exploitation automation |
| Persistence | T1547.006 Kernel Modules | Kernel-mode rootkit persistence |
| Defense Evasion | T1014 Rootkit | MORIYA rootkit for stealth |
| Collection | T1560 Archive Collected Data | Data staging before exfil |
| Exfiltration | T1567.002 Exfil to Cloud | Dropbox/OneDrive exfiltration |
| C2 | T1071.001 Web Protocols | HTTPS C2 |
Notable Campaigns
Earth Kurma APT has been linked to multiple significant campaigns targeting Southeast Asian government, telecom organizations. The group continuously evolves its tooling and infrastructure to evade detection while maintaining persistent access to compromised networks.
- Long-term espionage: Multi-year intrusions into government and defense networks
- Supply chain targeting: Compromise of technology providers and managed service providers
- Zero-day exploitation: Use of previously unknown vulnerabilities for initial access
Detection & Defense
- Threat intelligence integration: Monitor for known Earth Kurma APT IOCs and TTPs in SIEM/EDR platforms
- Network monitoring: Detect C2 patterns associated with TESDAT and related tooling
- Email security: Implement advanced phishing detection for spearphishing campaigns
- Endpoint detection: Deploy behavioral detection rules for known Earth Kurma APT TTPs
- Patch management: Prioritize patching of vulnerabilities known to be exploited by this group
- Lateral movement detection: Monitor for suspicious authentication patterns and admin tool usage
Defend Against Earth Kurma APT
Mjolnir Security provides specialized capabilities to detect and respond to Earth Kurma APT operations.
- APT Threat Hunting Proactive hunting for Earth Kurma APT TTPs, tooling artifacts, and infrastructure indicators within your environment.
- Threat Intelligence Continuous monitoring of Earth Kurma APT campaigns and infrastructure changes with actionable intelligence for your defense team.
- 24/7 Incident Response Rapid containment and forensic investigation. Call +1 833 403 5875.
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