"U.S. Warns of North Korean Hackers Posing as IT Freelancers"

The U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, recently warned that organizations should be careful when employing IT freelancers because they may be hiring North Korean hackers. North Korean IT workers are taking advantage of the worldwide shortage of skilled individuals and remote working to apply for software development and other IT jobs with companies worldwide. Although DPRK IT workers usually engage in non-malicious IT work, such as the development of a virtual currency exchange or a website, they have used the privileged access gained as contractors to enable DPRK’s malicious cyber intrusions, the federal agencies have noted. The federal agencies stated that some overseas-based DPRK IT workers have provided logistical support to DPRK-based malicious cyber actors, although the IT workers are unlikely to be involved in malicious cyber activities themselves. DPRK IT workers may share access to virtual infrastructure, facilitate sales of data stolen by DPRK cyber actors, or assist with the DPRK’s money-laundering and virtual currency transfers. The federal agencies noted that DPRK IT workers present themselves as U.S.-based and/or non-North Korean teleworkers and may further obfuscate their identities or location by sub-contracting work to non-North Koreans. These IT workers may be located in North Korea but have also been seen in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Russia, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Help Net Security reports: "U.S. Warns of North Korean Hackers Posing as IT Freelancers"