North Korea uses third-country IT workers to pass interviews at US companies, then takes over the positions after hiring
Odaily reports that North Korea is using remote IT workers from third countries such as Iran and Lebanon to infiltrate US companies in order to obtain funding to support its weapons programs. After the relevant individuals pass interviews, their positions are usually taken over by North Korean personnel.
The US government and multiple foreign agencies issued warnings in July stating that North Korean IT workers seek contracts and send salaries back to their affiliated North Korean organizations, while also posing insider threats to companies, involving data leaks, cryptocurrency theft, and the theft of sensitive information.
Some third-country IT workers are recruited through LinkedIn, and some of them work part-time as "interview facilitators," earning $500 in cryptocurrency per month.
Data from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike shows that in 2025, cryptocurrency losses caused by North Korea state-linked hackers and threat actors exceeded $2 billion, an increase of 51% year over year. South Korea's central bank estimates that North Korea's GDP grew 3.5% in 2025. (Cointelegraph)
