North Korean hackers are suspected of copying resumes and LinkedIn profiles in an attempt to access cryptocurrency companies’ internal operations and steal digital assets.
The hackers are accused of taking details from resumes on the job-hunting websites LinkedIn and Indeed to fabricate resumes in an attempt to get hired at cryptocurrency companies in the United States. If hired, these individuals can pretend to be notable developers and get access to the technology and infrastructure used by these companies.
“These are North Koreans trying to get hired and get to a place where they can funnel money back to the regime,” Michael Barnhart, an analyst at Mandiant, told Bloomberg.
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Mandiant, a cybersecurity firm that assists the U.S. government with security threats, claims it has identified multiple suspected North Korean personas on hiring websites that have also been successfully hired as freelance employees. These employees, who are working in crucial developer roles at certain cryptocurrency companies, are in positions where they can gather data about cryptocurrency trends. North Korea’s hackers can then use this data to launder cryptocurrency in a way that evades international sanctions, according to Mandiant analysts.
“It comes down to insider threats,” said Joe Dobson, a principal analyst at Mandiant. “If someone gets hired on to a crypto project and they become a core developer, that allows them to influence things, whether for good or not.”
Mandiant’s research correlates with May warnings from the FBI. The bureau warned U.S. businesses against inadvertently hiring freelancers from North Korea due to them potentially hiding their true identity and connection to the North Korean government.
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“There are thousands of DPRK IT workers, both dispatched overseas and located within the DPRK, generating revenue that is remitted back to the North Korean government,” the bureau said in an advisory. “These IT workers take advantage of existing demands for specific IT skills, such as software and mobile application development, to obtain freelance employment contracts from clients around the world, including in North America, Europe, and east Asia.”
North Korea has been blamed several times for hacking and stealing crypto assets. The FBI blames North Korea for stealing $620 million from the Ronin blockchain in April, the largest cryptocurrency theft to date.
