A North Korean agent applied for a job at a famous Chefir Company: You stumbled on him with a simple question about Halloween
Kraken’s recruitment team, a US -based encryption exchange, immediately noted that something about Stephen Smith, a potential information technology agent who applies for software engineering in early October. But they did not even compared a Smith email to a list of suspects that they were part of a group of infiltrators whose doubts were confirmed: Smith was a North Korean work.
Kraken could have tossed the app. Instead, Nick Persico, chief security officer in Krakon, decided to take a closer look at Stephen Smith. This has seen an opportunity to learn more about the infiltration tactics in North Korea, which robbed billions of dollars from encryption companies, and how it could prevent this in Kraken.
Percoco decided to present Smith through the recruitment process, make it talk to a recruiter and perform a technical test before preparing an interview. “We said this will be your knowledge, a kind of cultural interview.” Percoco said luck. “This is the place where he really failed. I don’t think he actually answered any questions we asked for.”
Smith claimed that he had obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from New York University, according to a copy of his autobiography that was reviewed by luck. He also claimed that he has more than 11 years of experience as a US -based software engineer such as Cisco and Pleasly Human.
It was scheduled to meet with Halloween, a classic American holiday – especially for university students in New York – that Smith seemed to know nothing about.
“Watch out tonight because some people may see your door bell, children who suffer from leaflets,” said Percoco, referring to the tradition of the trick or treatment. “What do you do when these people appear?”
Smith ignored and shook his head. “Nothing is special,” he said.
Smith was also unable to answer simple questions about Houston, the city in which he was supposed to live for two years. Despite the inclusion of “food” as an interest in his autobiography, Smith was unable to reach an answer directly when he was asked about his favorite restaurant in Houston. He looked around for a few seconds before complete, “nothing special here.”
Here is a clip from the interview where Smith was asked about his favorite restaurant.
When he was asked to produce a physical identifier, Smith said he was unable to reach one at the present time, but after a few minutes, he shared a photo of a driving license with his name and photo. The title included on the identity was more than 300 miles from Houston.
The SMITH job application is part of an increasing threat facing American companies, as thousands of assumed information technology workers with relationships with North Korea are trying to obtain a remote employment in foreign countries. Activists Network is part of an attempt to finance the weapons of mass destruction program in the country by working in multiple jobs simultaneously and reaching companies to steal money from within.
An increased threat
Kraken may have escaped from a bullet, but some companies were not very fortunate. The United Nations estimates that North Korea has achieved between $ 250 million to $ 600 million annually by deceiving foreign companies to employ its spies. It was a network of North Koreans, known as the famous Chollima I mentionedThe campaigns will continue to grow in 2025.
Crypto has proven especially vulnerable to this type of social engineering. The Lazarus Group, another network of North Koreans, has been linked to some of the largest encryption theft in history including a standard penetration of $ 1.5 billion of Crypto Exchange bybit in February and theft of $ 540 million from Ronin Network Blockchain in 2022.
Although Percoco does not know exactly what Smith intentions are, it is assumed that the operative aims to steal money at some point. “They will get our company’s equipment, and they will get some internal systems,” said Berkoko. “What will they do after that, we don’t know, but we most likely try to steal money.”
This story was originally shown on Fortune.com
