Shadow-Earth-053
No sourced public emblem in this profile.
reference profile · reported nexus: CN (not nationality)
SHADOW-EARTH-053 is a China-aligned threat group exploiting unpatched Microsoft Exchange Server vulnerabilities, specifically CVE-2021-26855, to conduct cyberespionage against government and defense-linked targets across Asia and Europe. The group primarily deploys ShadowPad malware, utilizing techniques such as credential dumping, tunneling tools, and lateral movement via WMIC. They have also been observed installing web shells for persistence and leveraging a custom ExchangeExport tool to extract high-value mailbox contents. Additionally, low-confidence associations with Noodle RAT and CVE-2025-55182 have been noted in their operations.
Source-reported aliases: . Associations do not prove equivalence.
Target geography
Catalog-listed countries (associations, not attack counts): No country-level metadata
No bound claim-post feed for this label.
Historical casebook
No dated record curated yet; absence does not establish inactivity.
Planned Kinwilder coverage
Tentative editorial review windows, contingent on evidence and review; not promised publication dates or predictions of attacks.
No assigned review window.
References
https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/26/d/inside-shadow-earth-053.html