חברת סייבר בארה"ב חשפה תרמית משרות רחבת היקף במטרה לממן תוכניות נשק וטילים של המשטר הקומוניסטי הצפון קוריאני

Over a three-month investigation, U.S.-based cybersecurity firm Nisos uncovered a network of at least 20 suspected North Korean operatives. Investigators on Sunday said the group collectively applied to more than 160,000 U.S. tech jobs. Many of them appear to operate from China, using Chinese internet infrastructure and support networks to help carry out the scheme. One of them was a man known as Joe. Believing he was part of the operation, Nisos hired him and sent a company laptop designed to secretly monitor activity. When Joe logged in, investigators say the device connected to dozens of other machines, likely part of a so-called laptop farm in Florida. These farms are used to make it seem like the workers were based in the U.S. Nisos spied on Joe through messaging apps, noting how his team coordinated efforts to apply to thousands of remote U.S. developer jobs. The goal was to land jobs at American companies and collect paychecks. The money would then be funneled back to North Korea to help fund the regime's weapons and missile programs. After several weeks, Joe returned the laptop. But by then, investigators say they gathered enough evidence to link the operation back to North Korea.