North Korea's Illicit "Army" of IT Workers | May 26, 2023
Channel: Hacking Space Frontier
Date: 2023-05-26

The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on four entities and one individual involved in illicit IT worker schemes and cyberattacks that generate funds for North Korea's weapons development programs. The OFAC stated that North Korea relies on a large number of hidden IT workers who use deceptive tactics such as stolen identities and fake personas to secure employment abroad. The revenue generated from these activities is funneled through entities in China and Russia to support Pyongyang's weapons programs. Some North Korean IT workers earn salaries exceeding $300,000 while concealing their identities. The sanctioned entities include Pyongyang University of Automation, the Reconnaissance General Bureau's Technical Reconnaissance Bureau and 110th Research Center cyber unit, Chinyong Information Technology Cooperation Company, and an individual named Kim Sang Man. The OFAC had previously sanctioned cryptocurrency mixers used by North Korean hackers and hacking groups for laundering stolen funds. Recent reports estimate that North Korean threat actors stole between $630 million to over $1 billion in cryptocurrency in 2022, doubling their illicit gains from the previous year. The US Treasury remains committed to combating North Korea's illicit revenue generation activities and cyber theft efforts.