Public sentiment is predominantly negative, highlighting shock and frustration over the ability of North Korean operatives to infiltrate U.S. tech companies, compounded by broader concerns regarding cybersecurity and ineffective hiring practices. Comments reveal anger towards U.S. companies perceived as complicit and a sense of injustice felt by American workers struggling to secure jobs while facing competition from foreign fraudsters. Additionally, there's skepticism about the local government's role in cybersecurity threats linked to Cambodia, further emphasizing concerns about international relations.

U.S. tech companies

Cambodian government

Thai government

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This just came out regarding their work. Looks like there may be more involved… [Attacks on South Korean government and businesses are likely the work of China, not North Korea's Kimsuky](http://www.itdaily.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=234940)

cryptotechnophobe

&gt;Do you think North Korea’s cyber operations get enough attention compared to their nuclear program, or are they still kind of under the radar?

To the general public, definitely under the radar. But in the infosec and fintech worlds, they're taken very very seriously.

What they're thinking in Washington is anybody's guess. (Odds are, they aren't.)

_-Cleon-_

YaksRespirators

Useless-RedCircle

“Lazarus group” hilarious for being anything anti communism Korean. They name one of their main income syndicates after a Christian lol

bessierexiv

They make a lot more money than you think for their regime through these methods. I have no sources to back this up but since even people in control of millions fall to simple phising attacks, its obvious that state-sponsored professionals are using more sophisictated methods.

PurpleMclaren

NoQuiet647

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The boogeyman of the week, cause I call BS.

Professional-Shop231

Let’s fight fire with fire. 

Everyone apply for N Korean jobs. I just got an interview to work at some type of camp (coding camp?). Pay sucks but I’m hoping to automate most of the tasks.

Illustrious-Teach411

Can't wait to start my next camera off call with a joke about Kim Jong Un

EducationalElevator

I have also seen reported cases of Americans taking extra jobs that they then farm out to North Koreans. So like your J2 being a scam middle man. Not sure if that’s better or worse or what.

Knightforlife

Instead of doing land acknowledgment before every zoom meetings, we all should start every meetings with cursing Kim Jong Un to ward off North Korean employees.

hitjake

No they’re not.  It’s just the excuse of the week.

Sure_Acanthaceae_348

Something I don't understand is how North Koreans can handle Zoom or Google Meet-ings? My jobs require copious amounts of team gatherings in video and I would expect DPRK'ers to stick out like a sore thumb, technically and culturally.

MalcoveMagnesia

They should delete the r/north Korea sub before HR finds it!

SendMe143

Not BS at all, I'm on a endpoint security team and this it very real.

Jddf08089

RTO is Phase 1 of forced attrition.  

Phase 2 will be mass layoffs thanks to AI (Artificial Indians).

Phase 3 if you survive will be you and the AI agents and/or AI doing the work of many.

And then 2026/27 the start of a massive recession because we prolonged this bull cycle for a long time.

Enjoy the blowoff top.

Any-Measurement7877

It's a combination of all sorts of shit unfortunately. 

At this point, if a company has the office space, they might as well. There is zero shortage of talent pool shortage to absolutely need remote work in most cases. There is an army of people who just want ANY office job at all. 

In 2-5 years, only the most talented and actually valuable employees will be remote.

ColdCouchWall

No it’s because of building leases and power

ISuckAtFallout4

How much leverage does blackrock have over cnn? This nk thing was a scam its not comon at all, also show me how nk are even able to access computers outside nk networks.

xwolf360

Stfu. I know people working for Mck and company, and it was after their recommendation that employers  started rto.

1. Employees who don't show up, fire with cause
2. Critical employees, get some levy and let live
3. Low performance Employee, will get lower once rto, fire with cause
4. With enough of these firing, outsource to the east, use critical Employee to train offshore folk
Once done, use point 1 to let go off critical Employee

parishuddhaatma

I’ve head of cases where threat actors get onboarded into remote companies.

dkizzz

Probably lies, there’s no repercussions for lying about North Korea so they do it all the time for views and clicks

UsualOkay6240

schoolboydope

It’s a legit thing, but mainly hurting IPKVM use as that is the one thing companies are really looking for now. Adapt.

Darksidius84

Wow, ok just seeing all the comments. 🤷🏻‍♂️ I don’t have a horse in this race. Just spotted this article and figured it is one more factor making companies suspicious of remote employees. 

Carry on OEs! 💰💰

Mundane-Ad2747

Man, I saw this too. These jerks are really trying to mess it up for all of us.

Particular-Sport-682

Nah, RTO management is usually control freaks who have no idea about how to manage people they cannot see.

ScreamOfVengeance

Sounds like some BS. Jobs want you to come in to justify paying rent, that's it

Material_Ad9873

fadedblackleggings

Calling bs as gov workers and hybrid workers still have to RTO

Choccimilkncookie

Lol. Dumb companies lang magogoyo ng ganyan. If nakakapasok to saknila, they deserve it kasi their interview and screening process is sheeeet.

RandomUserName323232

isnt this similar to those chinese applicants pretending to be filipinos that were posted here and in other socmed platforms several months ago?

ninja-kidz

jubillionaire

As early as 2022, na-detect na ng company namin ang mga ganyan. Sobrang talamak lalo sa crypto na normal na titingnan lang ang GitHub then will hire agad. We make it a point na at least one screening call pa rin at may instances talaga na may western name pero barely speaking english ang interviewee.

Euphemia_Nyx

If I was the hiring manager and with that kind of interview? That dude is out for me. Haha 

Pretty obvious he's too cautious and it's not a typical interview with a person just feeling "nervous". That isn't a Singaporean accent as well. LOL

Great video to expose these kinds of scams. I'm sure nagiging matalino na rin yung ibang mga yan kung paano nila nakukuha gusto nila. Sad they are exploiting people and it's just survival para sa mga 'yun.

musings_from_90

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Meron din yung scheme na telegram contact &gt; zoom meeting &gt; deepfake attendees &gt; download files &gt; ?? &gt; profit.

Matic pag telegegram iwas.

BlueberryChizu

that's why some top companies will ask them "do you hate Kim Jong Un / North Korea" as part of the interview they will die once they said yes since it is monitored by them.

lelouchvb__

It’s crazy that we live in a world where $7.7M seems like a tiny amount of money to seize

Krunkledunker

[https://cybernews.com/cybercrime/us-seizes-7-million-crypto-north-korean-it-worker-scams/](https://cybernews.com/cybercrime/us-seizes-7-million-crypto-north-korean-it-worker-scams/)

[https://archive.ph/spC0a](https://archive.ph/spC0a)

&gt;DoJ officials say the millions in crypto were frozen in connection with a North Korean Foreign Trade Bank (FTB) representative, Sim Hyon Sop (Sim), charged back in April 2023 for facilitating two separate IT worker scams.

&gt;The illegally obtained cryptocurrency is generated through remote work done by North Korean IT workers deployed around the globe, including in China and Russia, the DoJ said.

&gt;The $7.74 million in illicit funds were seized by the feds, all before Kim Jong Il’s government was able to launder the crypto for its typical nefarious purposes.

&gt;“For years, North Korea has exploited global remote IT contracting and cryptocurrency ecosystems to evade US sanctions and bankroll its weapons programs,” said Sue J. Bai, Head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.


&gt;US blockchain companies targeted by scammers
Many of the fake workers were said to have direct communications with Sim and employed at various US companies, including at blockchain development firms, which would pay their salaries “often in stablecoins, such as USDC and USDT.”

&gt;The DoJ also revealed the scheme involved the use of stolen identification, allowing the IT workers to pose as American citizens to bypass HR security checks. The fake IT workers were also said to regularly use virtual private networks (VPNs) to hide their true location from both the hiring company and payroll facilitators.

&gt;Once the salaries began rolling in, Sim would set up US-based online accounts, also using fictitious identities, and begin moving the ill-gotten funds in small amounts to other blockchains or converting them to other forms of virtual currency – a tactic known as “chain hopping” or “token swapping.

&gt;After laundering these funds, the North Korean IT workers reportedly would send the funds directly back to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) via Sim and at times through another North Korean national named Kim Sang Man, the CEO of a North Korean tech firm with ties to the communist government.

&gt;FBI investigators said the firm, “Chinyong,” also referred to as the “Jinyong IT Cooperation Company,” is a known subordinate to North Korea’s Ministry of Defense – and on the list of the US Treasury department’s list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) banned from doing business with US entities since 2017.

&gt;Thursday's forfeiture is part of FBI's “DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative” launched by the agency in March 2024.

&gt;As part of the law enforcement campaign, the DoJ indicted five suspects this January, accused of operating an overseas laptop farm used to trick at least 64 US companies into hiring the fake IT workers.

&gt;Several other busts have taken place, including Last August, accusing a Nashville man of running an IT worker laptop farm in Tennessee for years, reaping hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent salaries to send to the DPRK.

&gt;A civil forfeiture action allows the US government to seize funds without actually making a physical arrest of any suspect.

Landwhale6969

[deleted]

Hmmm… maybe “US seizes &amp;7.7M in wages paid to North Korean remote IT workers in violation of sanctions,” might be slightly closer?

DrSixSmith

East_Glass_4874

They did the work didn't they, not really a scam.


Definitely against sanctions but was anyone scammed here?


It's like that old saying about the dude robbing the bank by getting a job there.


Edit: Thinking on it, since the funds were seized. They might end up with free labor.

Bannedwith1milKarma

The U.S. Treasury has moved to impose sanctions on a North Korean fraud network infiltrating U.S. companies through deceptive practices.

North Korean Cyber Fraud Schemes

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