How not to hire a North Korean IT spy [Video]

CISOs are urged to carry out tighter vetting of new hires to ward off potential ‘moles’ — who are increasingly finding their way onto company payrolls and into their IT systems.

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CISOs looking for new IT hires already struggle with talent market shortages and bridging cybersecurity skills gaps. But now they face a growing challenge from an unexpected source: sanctions-busting North Korean software developers posing as potential hires.

North Korea is actively infiltrating Western companies using skilled IT workers who use fake identities to pose as remote workers with foreign companies, typically but not exclusively in the US.

These North Korean IT workers use fake identities, often stolen from real US citizens, to apply for freelance contracts or remote positions.

The schemes are part of illicit revenue generation efforts by the North Korean regime, which faces financial sanctions over its nuclear weapons program, as well as a component of the country’s cyberespionage activities.

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