North Korean IT workers frequently infiltrate encryption companies, lurking behind to launch hacking attacks
According to CoinDesk, several cryptocurrency companies unknowingly hired IT workers from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), including mature blockchain projects such as Injective, ZeroLend, Fantom, Sushi, Yearn Finance, and Cosmos Hub. These workers used fake IDs, successfully passed interviews, cleared background checks, and provided real work experience. Hiring North Korean workers is illegal in the United States and other countries that have sanctioned North Korea, and multiple companies that hired North Korean IT workers have subsequently been hacked. Prominent blockchain developer Zaki Manian stated, "Everyone is trying to filter these people out." He inadvertently hired two North Korean IT workers to help develop the Cosmos Hub blockchain in 2021. The U.S. authorities have recently intensified their warnings that North Korean IT workers are infiltrating tech companies and using the proceeds to fund nuclear weapons programs. An investigation has shown that North Korean job seekers are particularly aggressive and frequent in targeting cryptocurrency companies, successfully passing interviews, clearing background checks, and even displaying impressive code contribution histories on the open-source software repository GitHub.
