The departments of the Treasury and State and the FBI have issued an advisory to warn the public and private sectors and international organizations of North Korean information technology workers seeking employment to generate revenue to contribute to their country’s ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction programs.
North Korean IT workers target freelance employment contracts from clients in North America, Europe, East Asia and other parts of the world and pose as non-North Korean nationals, according to the joint advisory published Monday.
These employees develop software and applications that span across business, social networking, health and fitness and other sectors and accept projects that involve virtual currency.
The advisory outlines red flag indicators for companies employing freelance developers and potential mitigation measures companies should take when it comes to hiring programmers and developers on freelance platforms.
Among these measures are conducting video interviews to verify a potential freelance worker’s identity, performing a pre-employment background check and verifying higher education and employment history.
