How to Spot a North Korean Job Candidate

Prompt Candidates to Wave, Check IP Addresses and Ask About Their Supposed Location Greg Sirico • February 20, 2026

They're young, tech-savvy and often the most productive remote worker on the team. They're a major security risk numbering in the thousands that a multitude of Fortune 500 companies have unwittingly ushered into their network. They collectively earn up to half a billion annually in wages that sustain a despotic and criminal regime.

See Also: How 72% of Enterprises Are Rewriting Cyber Resilience Playbooks

They are North Korean IT workers - freelancers and salaried workers using stolen identities, false resumes and deepfakes to fool otherwise sophisticated corporations into illegally giving them a job.

They are every hiring manager's worst nightmare.

There are "3,000 hands on keyboards" and easily ...