Leak Reveals the Workaday Lives of North Korean IT Scammers

Summary

• A recent Black Hat security conference has provided insight into the working practices of North Korean IT workers, which often involve intricate and sophisticated planning.
• Every year, thousands of the country’s IT workers bring in between $250mand$600m for the regime, according to United Nations estimates, and their activities have included infiltrating huge Fortune 500 companies, tech and crypto firms and myriad small businesses.
• The new data reveals the groups that the workers are divided into, as well as their potential target jobs, and includes daily updates on job descriptions, the companies advertising them, their locations and the contact details of those conducting the hiring.
• It also shows fake identities that the IT workers allegedly use for job applications, as well as details of laptop farms and manuals used to create online accounts, reinforcing the nation’s reliance upon US-based tech services.

By Matt Burgess

Original Article