Citing a fresh report released by strategic intelligence platform Strider Technologies, the website revealed details of a vast network of China-based companies allegedly involved in facilitating North Korea's clandestine IT operations overseas, evading international sanctions.
According to Axios, the scheme involves North Korean workers using aliases to land jobs at tech companies in the U.S., with "nearly every Fortune 500 company" having "struggled with the problem of North Korea-based IT workers trying to get hired at their firms."
The report identified about 35 companies believed to be connected to Liaoning China Trade Industry, a Chinese firm already sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The firm was blacklisted earlier this year for shipping laptops and other IT equipment to North Korea's military unit, known as Department 53, which is involved in weapons trading.
Among other suspected firms named in the report are Dandong Deyun Trading, a textiles and electronics wholesaler; Guangzhou Aiyixi Trading, which engages in the sale of cosmetics and clothing; and Yongping Zhuoren Mining, a distributor of minerals and construction materials.
The report suspected that these firms may be helping to funnel resources to fund Pyongyang's missile and nuclear weapons program. But more recently, North Korea's aims appear to be shifting from earning dollars to intelligence gathering such as "intellectual property and any other company secrets," Axios said, quoting Strider CEO Greg Levesque as saying.
The latest revelation raises concerns over North Korea's increasingly sophisticated tactics to infiltrate Western businesses, posing threats to their cybersecurity.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
View more comments