FBI Exposes North Korea’s IT Scheme Sending Wages for Missile Program
The FBI has recently revealed that North Korea has been operating an extensive information technology (IT) scheme for several years. This scheme involves employing remote IT workers in US-based companies, who then send their wages to North Korea for its ballistic missile program. The FBI claims that the IT workers deceived multiple US companies using various tactics, such as working remotely from China and Russia.
Special Agent Jay Greenberg from the FBI’s St. Louis office stated that the North Korean IT workers used several strategies to make it appear as though they were working in the United States, including paying Americans to use their home Wi-Fi connections. The IT scheme generated millions of dollars annually that were funneled to designated entities, including the North Korean Ministry of Defense, using pseudonymous email accounts, social media, payment platforms, and online job sites.
Aside from financing North Korea’s weapons program, the scheme also involved infiltrating the computer networks of unsuspecting employers to steal information and maintain access for future hacking and extortion activities.
To protect US technology companies from employing these deceptive workers, the Justice Department has released a list of red flag indicators. These indicators include a worker’s refusal to appear on camera or conduct video interviews, unwarranted concerns or failures to undergo drug tests and in-person meetings, signs of cheating on coding exams or during employment questionnaires and interviews, and discrepancies between social media profiles and the individual’s submitted resume. Other indicators mentioned include inconsistent home addresses, repeated prepayment requests, and education listed in Chinese, Japanese, and Singaporean universities.
The FBI has warned businesses to be extra cautious when hiring new employees due to the prevalence of this IT scheme, noting that other US companies may have unknowingly worked with North Koreans and other countries.
In response to the scheme, the US Justice Department has taken court-authorized action to disrupt the illicit revenue generation. This action involves the seizure of $1.5 million and 17 domain names. Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division emphasized the importance of protecting US companies from being infiltrated by North Korean computer code and ensuring that American businesses are not used to finance the regime’s weapons program.
The United States has also collaborated with South Korea to share threat information related to North Korea’s IT scheme and to strengthen public-private partnerships.
The investigation into this situation is being led by the FBI’s St. Louis Field Office, with assistance from the FBI’s Cyber Division.
It is crucial for US technology companies to remain vigilant and implement measures to prevent the employment of North Korean-deployed IT workers. By doing so, these companies can protect themselves from unknowingly contributing to North Korea’s missile program and safeguard against potential cyber attacks.
Source: TechTimes.com
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