Amazon Blocks 1,800 North Koreans from Applying for Jobs

Amazon has announced the blocking of over 1,800 North Koreans from applying for jobs within the company. This move comes amid reports that North Korea is sending a significant number of IT workers overseas to generate and launder funds. According to a post on LinkedIn by Amazon’s Chief Security Officer Stephen Schmidt, there has been a noticeable increase in remote job applications from North Korean workers, particularly targeting positions in the United States.

Rising Applications and Industry Concerns

Schmidt noted that the company has experienced nearly a one-third increase in applications from North Korean nationals over the past year. These workers often utilize what are termed “laptop farms,” where a computer in the United States is operated remotely from outside the country. Schmidt emphasized that the issue is not limited to Amazon alone and “is likely happening at scale across the industry.” He identified several tell-tale signs of these applications, including incorrectly formatted phone numbers and questionable academic credentials.

In a related incident, a woman in Arizona was sentenced in July to over eight years in prison for operating a laptop farm that assisted North Korean IT workers in securing remote jobs at more than 300 US companies. This scheme reportedly generated more than US$17 million in revenue for both her and North Korea.

North Korea’s Cyber Operations

Concerns regarding North Korea’s cyber activities have been echoed by various analysts. Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, stated, “North Korea is actively training cyber personnel and infiltrating key locations worldwide.” He suggested that the motivations behind these operations appear largely economic, with a strong likelihood that they are aimed at stealing financial assets.

The North Korean cyber-warfare program has been in existence since at least the mid-1990s and has evolved into a unit known as Bureau 121, which comprises approximately 6,000 personnel operating from multiple countries. A 2020 US military report revealed the extensive scope of this unit’s operations.

In response to these threats, Washington has taken steps to counteract North Korean cyber activities. In November, the US announced sanctions against eight individuals accused of being “state-sponsored hackers,” whose illicit operations were allegedly conducted to fund the regime’s nuclear weapons program through the theft and laundering of money. The US Department of the Treasury has estimated that North Korean-affiliated cybercriminals have stolen over US$3 billion in the last three years, primarily in cryptocurrency.

This ongoing situation highlights the complex interactions between international technology companies and the evolving landscape of cyber threats linked to North Korea. As Amazon takes a stand against these attempts at infiltration, the broader implications for the tech industry remain significant.