Governments and tech companies met in Tokyo to share tips on combating a years-long campaign by North Korea to have its citizens illicitly hired in information technology roles. The US State Department, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and South Korea’s government collaborated to organize the forum, which drew over 130 attendees from various industries.
The scheme, known as the Lazarus Group hackers’ operation, has seen hundreds of workers obtain employment at high-profile companies while using stolen IDs from the US or Europe. North Korean officials have been sanctioned for their involvement in the IT schemes, and an Arizona woman was recently sentenced to eight years in prison for her role.
Companies that have fallen victim to the scheme, including those in the cryptocurrency industry, have lost millions after mistakenly hiring North Korean IT workers. The US officials warn of potential issues, such as data exposure, reputational harm, legal consequences, and future attacks by North Korean hackers who now have a roadmap to a company’s signature assets.
The forum aims to provide a platform for stakeholders to share information on how to collectively defend against the scheme. The three countries have collaborated since 2022 to stop the operation, which has seen hundreds of millions of dollars funneled into North Korea’s military programs through this illicit means.
Source: https://therecord.media/japan-us-south-korea-forum-north-korea-it-worker-scheme