Have you ever by chance employed a North Korean IT employee who’s spying in your firm? • Graham Cluley

South Korea and the US’s FBI are warning organisations that they may have inadvertently recruited a North Korean spy to work of their IT division.

The USA and South Korea first issued advice to firms in 2022 concerning the measures they need to take to keep away from hiring North Korean freelance coders and IT workers, warning of dangers together with the theft of mental property, knowledge, and funds, in addition to reputational hurt and authorized penalties.

Then companies and recruitment businesses have been suggested to be on the look out for suspicious behaviour, together with accessing firm methods from a number of IP addresses, working odd hours, and title spelling inconsistencies throughout completely different on-line platforms.

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Now, in an updated advisory, further “purple flags” have been listed which could point out that your new rent is definitely working for North Korea:

Unwillingness or lack of ability to seem on digicam, conduct video interviews or video conferences; inconsistencies once they do seem on digicam, resembling time, location, or look.

Undue concern about necessities of a drug take a look at or in particular person conferences and having the shortcoming to take action.

Indications of dishonest on coding checks or when answering employment questionnaires and interview questions. These can embrace extreme pausing, stalling, and eye scanning actions indicating studying, and giving incorrect but plausible-sounding solutions.

Social media and different on-line profiles that don’t match the employed particular person’s supplied resume, a number of on-line profiles for a similar identification with completely different photos, or on-line profiles with no image.

House tackle for provision of laptops or different firm supplies is a freight forwarding tackle or quickly adjustments upon hiring.

Schooling on resume is listed as universities in China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, or different Asian nations with employment virtually solely in the US, the Republic of Korea, and Canada.

Repeated requests for prepayment; anger or aggression when the request is denied.

Threats to launch proprietary supply codes if further funds should not made.

Account points at numerous suppliers, change of accounts, and requests to make use of different freelancer firms or completely different cost strategies

Language preferences are in Korean however the person claims to be from a non-Korean talking nation or area.

Hmm.. I can simply think about how I’d set off a minimum of a few these purple flags!

As well as, some sensible tips are supplied for the way recruiters can higher vet candidates to forestall the unwitting hiring of North Korean IT employees.

I ponder what number of organisations will really go to all this effort.

If companies consider they’ve discovered candidate for a job, and the wannabe IT employee’s wage necessities aren’t out of orbit, I can think about many firms may welcome them with open arms lengthy earlier than suspicions start to rise that they is likely to be exploiting their entry to the corporate’s community and knowledge.

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