Crypto Exchange Exposes North Korean Hacker
In a striking incident, one of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges, Kraken, has exposed a North Korean hacker who attempted to infiltrate the company by adopting a fictitious identity. In an article by CBS News, Nick Percoco, the Chief Security Officer at Kraken, revealed that the individual, who falsely identified himself as “Steven Smith”, sought employment in the IT department with the ulterior motive of pilfering sensitive data and financial resources.
Details of the Incident
The suspect, who appears on a “Do Not Hire” registry, is thought to have ties to the regime of Kim Jong Un. Rather than instantly rejecting the bogus job application, Percoco opted for a more confrontational approach.
“We prefer to engage directly with attackers. Some might label it as trolling, but we regard it as a form of security investigation. Their goal is to gain employment to appropriate intellectual capital and financial assets from companies,”
he commented.
During the interview at Kraken, the applicant was asked to provide proof of identity as he claimed to hail from Houston. After a brief period of hesitation, he presented what he claimed was a driver’s license—merely a screenshot—that identified him as “Stephen Smith,” with an address located 300 miles away.
Broader Implications
Additionally, a report by Fortune disclosed that Smith asserted he held a bachelor’s degree in computer science from New York University and boasted over ten years of experience in software engineering at recognized US companies, including Cisco and Kindly Human. Notably, the United Nations has estimated that North Korea generates between $250 million and $600 million each year by tricking foreign companies into hiring its operatives, revealing the broader implications of such deceptive tactics in the global job market.
