Over the past few years, cybersecurity experts have increasingly said that nation-state operatives and cybercriminals often blur the boundaries between geopolitical and financial motivations. A new report released Wednesday shows how North Korea has flipped that idea on its head. North Korea has silently forged a global cyber operation that experts now liken to a…
Category: North Korean IT workers
Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Global Security News, google cloud, Google Threat Intelligence Group, Mandiant, North Korea, North Korean IT workers, Research, Technology, Threats
North Korean operatives have infiltrated hundreds of Fortune 500 companies
SAN FRANCISCO — North Korean nationals have infiltrated the employee ranks at top global companies more so than previously thought, maintaining a pervasive and potentially widening threat against IT infrastructure and sensitive data. “There are hundreds of Fortune 500 organizations that have hired these North Korean IT workers,” Mandiant Consulting CTO Charles Carmakal said Tuesday…
china, critical infrastructure, cyber workforce, cybersecurity workforce, FireEye, Global Security News, North Korea, North Korean IT workers, Ransomware, Research, Russia, SentinelOne, SolarWinds, telecommunications, Threats, Workforce
Cybersecurity vendors are themselves under attack by hackers, SentinelOne says
Cybersecurity companies don’t just defend their customers against cyberattacks — they also have to defend themselves, and a SentinelOne report published Monday examines some of the biggest threats they’re facing. Those include ransomware, Chinese government-sponsored hackers and North Korean IT workers posing as job applicants, according to the report from SentinelOne’s SentinelLabs. “In recent months,…
crowdstrike, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Dtex Systems, Global Security News, North Korea, North Korean IT workers, Palo Alto Networks, Research, Threats, Unit 42
The North Korea worker problem is bigger than you think
North Korean nationals have infiltrated businesses across the globe with a more expansive level of organization and deep-rooted access than previously thought, insider risk management firm DTEX told CyberScoop. This swarm of technical North Korean experts isn’t just intruding businesses as ad hoc freelance IT workers; they’ve gained full-time employment as engineers and specialists of…
Cybercrime, Department of Justice (DOJ), Global Security News, North Korea, North Korean IT workers
DOJ indicts five in North Korean fake IT worker scheme
The U.S. government delivered another blow to North Korea’s fake IT worker scheme Thursday, with the Department of Justice announcing indictments against five men for fraudulently obtaining remote credentials to work with American companies and generate revenue for Pyongyang. The indictments of North Korean nationals Jin Sung-Il and Pak Jin-Song, Mexican national Pedro Ernesto Alonso…
Geopolitics, Global Security News, Government, North America, North Korea, North Korean IT workers, sanctions, Treasury Department
Treasury sanctions North Korea over remote IT worker schemes
The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions Thursday against two individuals and four entities allegedly involved in generating revenue for North Korea through illicit remote IT workforce operations, the latest salvo in ongoing efforts to disrupt financial streams that support Pyongyang’s weapons programs. The sanctions focus on efforts in which North Korea sent thousands of skilled…
Cybercrime, Global Security News, North Korea, North Korean IT workers, South Korea
South Korea sanctions 15 North Koreans for IT worker scams, financial hacking schemes
The South Korean government has sanctioned more than a dozen individuals and one organization for a wide-ranging global scheme to fund North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs through impersonating IT workers abroad, stealing cryptocurrency and facilitating cyberattacks. South Korean officials on Thursday identified 15 North Korean nationals and the Chosun Geumjeong Economic Information Technology Exchange…
china, Cybercrime, Department of Justice, Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of State, Geopolitics, Global Security News, Justice Department, Mandiant, North America, North Korea, North Korean IT workers, Russia, State Department, U.S. courts, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of State
Court indicts 14 North Korean IT workers tied to $88 million in illicit gains
A federal court has indicted 14 more North Korean IT workers as part of an ongoing U.S. government campaign to crack down on Pyongyang’s use of tech professionals to swindle American companies and nonprofits. The Justice Department said the 14 indicted workers generated at least $88 million throughout a conspiracy that stretched over approximately six…