U.S. authorities warn of attempts by North Koreans to get IT jobs by disguising their nationality

Three U.S. agencies warned Monday that IT workers from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea) are trying to secure jobs by posing as non-North Korean nationals, often based in the U.S. and/or as non-North Korean telecommuters.

• According to the State Department, the U.S. Treasury Department, and the FBI, hiring North Korean workers poses both reputational and legal risks. Both the United States and the United Nations have imposed sanctions on North Korea.
• The warning specifically notes that North Korean IT workers often take on projects that involve virtual currencies. "Some North Korean IT workers have designed virtual currency exchanges or developed analytical tools and applications for virtual currency traders and marketed their products themselves," the document said.
• Authorities added that while these employees often perform normal IT work, "they have used the privileged access they have received as contractors to enable malicious DPRK cyberattacks."
• The latest warning comes after several U.S. government organizations last month jointly highlighted the threat of cryptocurrency theft and the tactics of the North Korean state-sponsored group known as Lazarus Group.
• The Treasury Department has linked Lazarus to the high-profile theft of $625 million worth of cryptocurrencies from Ronin Bridge in connection with the popular game Axie Infinity.