North Koreans pose as IT pros to bankroll Kim's nukes
What's the story
North Korean IT workers have been using their skills to fund Kim Jong Un's nuclear ambitions, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The scheme involves thousands of North Korean men trained in information technology, who are stealing identities and faking their resumes to land high-paying remote tech jobs in the US and other wealthy countries. They use artificial intelligence (AI) to fabricate work and hide their faces and identities.
Financial impact
Scheme has targeted hundreds of Fortune 500 companies
The FBI estimates that this scheme has generated between hundreds of millions to $1 billion for Kim's government in the last five years. The money is believed to be funding Kim's ambition of turning North Korea into a nuclear-armed force. The scheme has targeted hundreds of Fortune 500 companies, aerospace manufacturers, and US financial institutions from banks to small crypto start-ups.
Widespread infiltration
Infiltrating other industries by posing as HVAC specialists
The North Korean IT workers have also infiltrated other industries by posing as Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) specialists, engineers, and architects. They create blueprints and obtain municipal approvals with the aid of AI. The scheme has targeted companies across Europe, Saudi Arabia, and Australia. US, Japanese, and South Korean government officials met in Tokyo in late August to strengthen ties against these attacks.
Risks involved
Legal risk of unwittingly violating sanctions against North Korea
The scheme poses a dual threat to companies: the risk of foreign government agents infiltrating their internal systems and the legal risk of unwittingly violating sanctions against North Korea. These violations could compromise national security for the US and its allies. "This is a code red," said Jeanine Pirro, US Attorney for D.C., at a press conference in July. "Your tech sectors are being infiltrated by North Korea."
Worker exploitation
Men involved in these deceptions are also victims
The North Korean men involved in these deceptions are also victims of the brutal regime. They are separated from their families and sent to offshore sites for remote IT work. If they don't make enough money for the North Korean government, they could face beatings, imprisonment, threats to their loved ones, and other human rights violations.