It’s suspected that North Korean hackers copied resumes and LinkedIn accounts to get remote jobs at US crypto businesses.
Might Be Seeking Insider Information
According to a report by security researchers at Mandiant, North Koreans are targeting job listings on LinkedIn and Indeed.
The information uncovered by Mandiant supports claims made by the US government in May. The US has issued a warning about North Korean IT professionals attempting to find freelance work abroad while pretending to be someone they are not to collect money for government weapons development programs.
According to the US advisory, the IT workers claim to have the kinds of abilities required for complex work, including developing mobile apps, constructing virtual currency exchanges, and mobile gaming. Researchers from Mandiant claim that North Koreans can learn about future cryptocurrency trends by obtaining information from cryptocurrency firms.
According to Joe Dobson, a principal analyst at Mandiant, such information could give the North Korean government an advantage in how to launder cryptocurrency in a way that helps Pyongyang avoid sanctions.
Mandiant analysts said they had located numerous allegedly North Korean personalities on job sites that had been employed successfully as independent contractors. However, they withheld employers’ identities. The government of North Korea has constantly denied taking part in any cybercrime-related schemes.
State-Backed Cybercrime
According to the newest report from Coincub, North Korea is the top country in crypto-related crime. An astounding 10% of North Korea’s GDP comes from fraud, theft, and ransomware. Due to intense international sanctions on exports, the adoption of crypto in the country is crime-related most of the time.
In 2019, the UN security council brief claimed that since 2016, North Korea has noticeably used hacks to generate revenue for the national treasury.
Elliptic, an analytics company, also asserted that North Korean hackers were the most likely perpetrators of the $100 million Harmony Protocol hack in June.
On the Flipside
- LinkedIn claims that it prevents 95% of fake accounts from being created at the registration stage. By pairing human review with artificial intelligence and machine learning, the company claims to restrict fake accounts before users report them.
Why You Should Care
- North Korea is one of the top countries in crypto-related crime.
- North Korea is one of the few remaining dictatorships in the world, with an openly anti-west agenda. As cybersecurity is an issue on the rise, the Western world needs to protect its digital space.
More about North Korea and Harmony hack:
North Korean Hackers to Be Held Accountable for $100M Harmony Hack
More about North Korea being one of the World’s Top Crypto Crime Locations:
North Korea Is Among World’s Top 5 Crypto Crime Locations