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In the world of cyber espionage, stealth and strategy are everything. Between 2023 and 2024, a shadowy threat actor known as Earth Ammit launched two separate but connected campaigns, targeting critical sectors in Taiwan and South Korea. These attacks didn’t go after just any organization — they focused on high-value targets like the military, satellite operators, heavy industry, and technology providers. The goal? To infiltrate the heart of modern defense and communication systems: the drone supply chain.
Discovered and tracked by cybersecurity powerhouse Trend Micro, these campaigns were dubbed VENOM and TIDRONE. The VENOM campaign focused on software service providers, often the soft underbelly of digital infrastructure. Later, the TIDRONE operation zeroed in on the military industry, representing a serious escalation in scope and ambition.
Earth Ammit’s strategy was to compromise trusted suppliers upstream, giving them covert access to downstream systems — a classic supply chain attack technique. This article breaks down how they did it, what it means for global cybersecurity, and what to expect next.
Cyber Espionage Unveiled: Earth Ammit’s VENOM and TIDRONE Operations
Between 2023 and 2024, Earth Ammit, an advanced persistent threat (APT) group believed to be connected with Chinese-speaking nation-state actors, executed two major cyber campaigns. Their targets were spread across Taiwan and South Korea, key nations in the global tech and defense landscape. These campaigns, dubbed VENOM and TIDRONE, reveal a methodical and strategic operation focusing on exploiting the drone supply chain — a critical infrastructure for both military and civilian applications.
The VENOM operation was the starting point. In this phase, Earth Ammit targeted software service providers, often a vulnerable point within the IT ecosystem. These companies typically hold privileged access to client systems, making them ideal initial entry points. By compromising them, attackers could move laterally into more protected environments, essentially hitchhiking on trusted software and updates.
The TIDRONE campaign followed, showing a sharper focus on military targets. This second wave marked a shift from generic supply chain attacks to direct intrusions into military technology networks. The timing and escalation suggest a tactical intention — first infiltrate, then execute precision strikes on mission-critical systems.
The attackers reportedly exploited ERP systems, crucial for resource and operational planning. This means Earth Ammit likely had deep insights into organizational logistics, inventory movements, and potentially even operational plans involving drones and other technologies.
Trend Micro’s report highlights that the goal wasn’t immediate disruption. Instead, Earth Ammit seemed interested in long-term surveillance and strategic access, allowing them to amplify future attacks by exploiting the compromised networks over time.
The campaigns were stealthy and well-coordinated, showing signs of military-grade planning. With sectors like media, technology, healthcare, and satellite communication also affected, it’s clear the campaign wasn’t just about data theft. It was about dominating the digital battlefield.
What Undercode Say:
Earth Ammit’s campaigns represent a textbook evolution in cyber warfare. What stands out isn’t just the sectors they targeted, but how they targeted them. The focus on supply chain infiltration marks a significant escalation in the sophistication of state-sponsored cyber operations.
Why is this important? Because supply chains are the new soft targets. Vendors and software partners often have elevated access to critical infrastructure. If compromised, they can unintentionally deliver malware directly to secure systems. That’s exactly what Earth Ammit exploited.
The VENOM campaign proves the effectiveness of upstream attacks. Software vendors act as digital bridges between different entities. Once Earth Ammit had access, they likely used trusted communications channels to move deeper into high-value targets, without raising any red flags.
TIDRONE’s focus on the military sector changes the game entirely. This wasn’t opportunistic hacking — it was deliberate espionage. The use of ERP systems shows how deep the attackers went. ERP tools manage everything from logistics to deployment schedules. Gaining access here offers a clear tactical advantage.
These campaigns also blur the line between traditional cybercrime and cyber warfare. The blend of stealth, persistence, and precision indicates that Earth Ammit is more than just a rogue actor — this is almost certainly a state-backed group operating with long-term geopolitical objectives.
From a strategic viewpoint, the attacks serve multiple purposes. First, they destabilize the trust between nations and vendors. Second, they offer the attacker an inside look into defense capabilities and limitations. Third, they create opportunities for future sabotage or intelligence gathering.
Moreover, with Taiwan and South Korea being central to both semiconductor production and defense tech, these intrusions can have global repercussions. Supply chains disrupted in Asia can ripple out to Europe, the US, and beyond.
The VENOM and TIDRONE operations may be over for now, but their footprints could linger. Persistent access, compromised code, and stolen credentials can all be leveraged for future strikes. It’s likely Earth Ammit is simply laying the groundwork for the next phase of cyber operations.
Cybersecurity frameworks, especially those involving ERP and vendor systems, need urgent reinforcement. The old models of perimeter defense are obsolete. What’s needed now is zero-trust architecture, real-time monitoring, and collaborative threat intelligence sharing across borders.
Earth Ammit has shown the world that the modern battlefield is invisible — and already breached.
Fact Checker Results ✅
🔍 Earth Ammit’s campaigns have been confirmed by Trend Micro as targeting drone-related industries.
📊 Both VENOM and TIDRONE involved supply chain breaches, especially via ERP systems.
🛰️ The attackers focused on Taiwan and South Korea’s tech, defense, and infrastructure sectors.
Prediction 📡
Expect future campaigns from Earth Ammit or similar groups to continue focusing on critical supply chains, especially those tied to emerging military technologies like AI-powered drones. As geopolitical tensions in East Asia rise, such cyber operations will become more aggressive, stealthy, and frequent, possibly extending into Western defense and tech contractors by 2026.
References:
Reported By: thehackernews.com
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