North Korea using foreign talent to help infiltrate US companies: Report
North Korea is increasingly using remote IT workers from third countries such as Iran and Lebanon to help infiltrate US companies and generate funds for its weapons programs. A July US and allied government alert said these workers often seek contracts to send salaries back to North Korean agencies and can pose insider threats through data theft, sensitive-information theft, and cryptocurrency theft. As governments crack down, North Korea is reportedly relying on foreign workers to get through interviews, then replacing them with North Korean operatives after contracts are secured. Some recruits were found on LinkedIn and offered about $500 a month in cryptocurrency as “interview associates.” These tactics appear to be working, with North Korean-linked hackers tied to more than $2 billion in crypto losses in 2025.
