North Korean IT workers are using fake identities to fund Kim regime
Government says remote workers linked to Pyongyang are infiltrating online hiring platforms, stealing data and channelling wages into North Korea's weapons programs
The Canadian government has joined a group of allies in warning businesses that North Korean IT workers are using false identities to land remote jobs and send money back to fund Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.
In a joint alert released Friday with Australia, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other partners, Global Affairs Canada said these workers are increasingly posing as citizens of other countries to win contracts on online employment and freelance platforms.
Authorities say the workers often rely on forged identity documents, third-party proxies and artificial intelligence tools to hide who they are. Some have also been tied to cryptocurrency theft, data theft and the removal of sensitive corporate information.
