The FBI identified a North Korean IT worker who fraudulently obtained a job at a US government agency, raising questions about vetting gaps and the regime's revenue operations.
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The FBI identified a North Korean IT worker who fraudulently secured a job inside a U.S. government agency. Todd Hemmen, deputy assistant director of the bureau's Cyber Capabilities Branch, disclosed the case July 28 at a Digital Government Institute conference in Washington. He called it "a little bit baffling," according to Federal News Network, which reported his remarks Aug. 11.
Hemmen said the bureau had identified the worker the week before. He did not name the agency or describe the worker's duties. How the worker passed vetting and whether he reached sensitive systems or data remain undisclosed.
Federal investigators say North Korea has sent thousands of skilled IT workers abroad to obtain jobs fraudulently. The goal is to generate revenue for weapons programs. The United Nations estimates the operation earns Pyongyang between $250 million and $600 million a year.
Workers use fraudulent identities to win remote positions. They funnel wages back to the regime while stealing intellectual property and other data. Once discovered, they extort employers, TechCrunch reported.
Three days after Hemmen spoke, the U.S. and 10 allies warned companies against hiring North Korean IT workers. The July 31 joint statement said the labor funds Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, AFP reported. The signatories included Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the U.K. Six of those countries had already issued their own advisories.
The alert said the workers pose as nationals of other countries to win contracts through commercial hiring platforms. Their methods are growing more sophisticated, the statement added, including the use of AI to obscure their identities. They represent an insider threat involved in data exfiltration and cryptocurrency theft.
Experts told Federal News Network the public sector's involvement was not surprising. The case exposes gaps in government and industry vetting, particularly for IT support roles.
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