Officials uncover how North Korean operatives used stolen identities and remote-controlled tech to infiltrate American companies and steal corporate data.
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Scooped by
Richard Platt
onto Internet of Things - Company and Research Focus June 4, 3:26 PM
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North Korean hackers operated a “laptop farm” scheme using fake identities to land remote US tech jobs and illegally collect $17.1 million in wages. Part of a broader effort to exploit global labor markets through cybercrime. Cybersecurity experts described the operation as “something we’d never seen before,” citing sophisticated tactics and custom-built programs enabling North Korean agents to bypass detection systems and exfiltrate sensitive corporate data. Federal court documents and a report from the WSJ, North Korean IT workers ran a covert operation where dozens of US-based laptops, remotely controlled using compromised identities, allowing them to pose as job seekers in the US tech sector, securing employment with US companies. Once hired, the “workers” funneled salaries, using proxy accounts and intermediaries. Several Americans unknowingly or willfully participated by setting up and maintaining laptop farms, receiving employer-issued hardware, and managing employment documents, giving North Korean operatives direct access to corporate systems. North Korea’s strategy of infiltrating remote jobs is not limited to the US; the UK and EU countries were as well. More aggressive tactics are being deployed in these regions, with the hackers threatening to leak proprietary information if their contracts are terminated. This evolving pattern highlights North Korea’s ability to adapt its cyber tactics across borders, turning the global remote work economy into a new frontier for illicit revenue and intelligence gathering.