Trend Micro's Japan unit named this actor Earth Kumiho, equating it with Kimsuky, in a May 2022 report analyzing domestic targeted attacks observed in Japan during 2021. The company identified Earth Kumiho as one of four targeted-attack groups it tracked operating against Japanese organizations that year, describing its focus as individuals connected to defense and diplomatic affairs. Trend Micro reported finding traces consistent with a suspected watering-hole style attack against a domestic target, though it noted that sustained, continuous targeting of Japanese organizations had not been confirmed at the time of publication and that its assessment also drew on attack patterns observed against similar targets outside Japan.