North Korea has been sending thousands of IT specialists abroad for years, forcing them to work remotely for Western companies in secret. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
According to a report by the BBC, these specialists have operated in various companies in the US and Europe using hundreds of fake identities. They typically worked in groups of 10 and earned up to $5,000 a month.
However, 85 percent of the income generated was sent directly to Pyongyang, to finance the regime. To conceal their identities, IT specialists initially posed as Chinese and then used documents from citizens of other countries, such as Hungary or Turkey.
After that, they applied for jobs in the US under the names of European citizens. According to a report published by the UN Security Council in March 2024, this scheme generates between $250 million and $600 million for North Korea each year.
The expansion of remote work opportunities during the pandemic has contributed to the development of this system. This activity differs from traditional cyberattacks.
For example, it is being conducted independently of the $1.5 billion cryptocurrency theft carried out by the Lazarus Group. Employers are facing significant difficulties in identifying fake candidates.
Companies in the US and Europe have reported hundreds of suspicious applications. In some cases, it has been found that candidates used artificial intelligence technologies to alter their faces during video interviews.
These situations are creating new challenges in the field of cybersecurity
