Tag: north-korea
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North Korean Hackers Are Turning VS Code Into a Silent Attack Tool
Developer environments are designed for speed, automation, and flexibility. Features like auto-run tasks and integrated scripting help streamline workflows, but they can also introduce new security risks when abused. New reporting from The Hacker News reveals that North Korean threat actors are exploiting auto-execution features in Visual Studio Code to execute malicious code on developer…
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New ‘StoatWaffle’ malware auto”‘executes attacks on developers
Tags: attack, detection, group, infrastructure, jobs, korea, malicious, malware, north-korea, threatContagious Interview, revisited: StoatWaffle isn’t an isolated campaign. It’s the latest chapter in the Contagious Interview attacks, widely attributed to North Korea-linked threat actors tracked as WaterPlum.Historically, this campaign has targeted developers and job seekers through fake interview processes, luring them into running malicious code under the guise of technical assessments. Previously, the campaign weaponized…
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North Korea-linked threat actors abuse VS Code auto-run to spread StoatWaffle malware
North Korea-linked threat actors use VS Code auto-run tasks to spread StoatWaffle malware via malicious projects that execute on folder open. North Korea-linked threat actor Team 8 behind the Contagious Interview campaign is spreading StoatWaffle malware through malicious Microsoft Visual Studio Code projects. Since late 2025, they have abused the “tasks.json” auto-run feature in Microsoft…
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Ex-US Soldier Among 3 Sentenced for DPRK IT Worker Scam
IT Worker Scheme, Laptop Farm Siphon Funds Back to North Korea. A U.S. federal judge sentenced a now-former Army soldier to one year in prison Friday for renting his identity to North Korean IT workers who used it to collect more than $193,000 in salaries from American companies. Also sentenced were two California men who…
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North Korean Hackers Abuse VS Code Auto-Run Tasks to Deploy StoatWaffle Malware
The North Korean threat actors behind the Contagious Interview campaign, also tracked as WaterPlum, have been attributed to a malware family tracked as StoatWaffle that’s distributed via malicious Microsoft Visual Studio Code (VS Code) projects.The use of VS Code “tasks.json” to distribute malware is a relatively new tactic adopted by the threat actor since December…
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North Korean Hacker Lands Remote IT Job, Caught After VPN Slip
New research from LevelBlue reveals how a suspected North Korean operative landed a remote IT role to fund national weapons programmes. First seen on hackread.com Jump to article: hackread.com/north-korean-hacker-remote-it-job-vpn-slip/
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US soldier sentenced for helping North Korean IT workers
The man pleaded guilty to accusations that he allowed North Korean IT workers to use his identity on resumes and during employer vetting processes that involved interviews, drug tests and fingerprints. First seen on therecord.media Jump to article: therecord.media/us-soldier-sentencer-for-helping-nk-it-workers
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Behavioral XDR and threat intel nab North Korean fake IT worker within 10 days of hire
Key signs of NK-linked insider infiltration: SpiderLabs has found that these threat actors commonly operate from China rather than North Korea because the internet is more stable and they can employ VPN services to conceal their true geographic origin.Astrill VPN has the ability to bypass China’s Great Firewall and allows threat actors to tunnel traffic…
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Trio sentenced for facilitating North Korean IT worker scheme from their homes
Tags: north-koreaThe men facilitated about $1.28 million in salary from victim U.S. companies by hosting laptop farms and helping remote IT workers assume fake identities. First seen on cyberscoop.com Jump to article: cyberscoop.com/north-korea-it-worker-scheme-three-sentenced/
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Bitrefill blames North Korean Lazarus group for cyberattack
Crypto-powered gift card store Bitrefill says that the attack it suffered at the beginning of the month was likely perpetrated by North Korean hackers of the Bluenoroff group. First seen on bleepingcomputer.com Jump to article: www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/bitrefill-blames-north-korean-lazarus-group-for-cyberattack/
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Fake-ITler: Nordkoreanische IT-Agenten machen 500 Millionen USD
Fake-ITler aus Nordkorea erwirtschaften für ihre Regierung im Jahr 500 Millionen US-Dollar. Unternehmen können auf Warnzeichen achten. First seen on golem.de Jump to article: www.golem.de/news/fake-itler-nordkoreanische-it-agenten-machen-500-millionen-usd-2603-206680.html
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WaterPlum Unleashes “StoatWaffle” Malware in VSCode Supply Chain Attack
A North Korea-linked threat group known as WaterPlum has introduced a new malware strain called “StoatWaffle” as part of its ongoing Contagious Interview campaign. The activity has been attributed to Team 8, a subgroup within WaterPlum also tracked as the Moralis or Modilus cluster. This team was previously associated with the OtterCookie malware, but since…
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Elite members of North Korean society fake their way into Western paychecks
Increased federal activity, including indictments over the past year, has drawn attention to a pattern that has been unfolding inside corporate hiring pipelines. North Korean … First seen on helpnetsecurity.com Jump to article: www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/03/19/north-korean-remote-it-workers-corporate-infiltration-scheme/
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OFAC Sanctions DPRK IT Worker Network Funding WMD Programs Through Fake Remote Jobs
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned six individuals and two entities for their involvement in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) information technology (IT) worker scheme with an aim to defraud U.S. businesses and generate illicit revenue for the regime to fund its weapons of mass…
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New research unpacks North Korea’s stealthy, sophisticated remote IT worker schemes
The report recommends that businesses practice several forms of vigilance to avoid unwittingly hiring Pyongyang’s operatives. First seen on cybersecuritydive.com Jump to article: www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/north-korea-remote-it-worker-ibm-flare/815063/
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North Korea’s 100,000-strong fake IT worker army rake in $500M a year for Kim Jong Un
Researchers map full org chart of the scam from dodgy recruiters to helpful Western collaborators First seen on theregister.com Jump to article: www.theregister.com/2026/03/18/researchers_lift_the_lid_on/
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Crypto e-commerce platform Bitrefill accuses North Korea of stealing 18,500 purchase records
Bitrefill said hackers allegedly tied to North Korea’s Lazarus group accessed around 18,500 purchase records that contained email addresses, crypto payment addresses, and metadata including IP addresses. First seen on therecord.media Jump to article: therecord.media/crypto-platform-accuses-north-korea-hack
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Crypto e-commerce platform Bitrefill accuses North Korea of stealing 18,500 purchase records
Bitrefill said hackers allegedly tied to North Korea’s Lazarus group accessed around 18,500 purchase records that contained email addresses, crypto payment addresses, and metadata including IP addresses. First seen on therecord.media Jump to article: therecord.media/crypto-platform-accuses-north-korea-hack
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Konni Deploys EndRAT Through Phishing, Uses KakaoTalk to Propagate Malware
Tags: access, email, group, hacking, intelligence, malicious, malware, north-korea, phishing, spear-phishing, threatNorth Korean threat actors have been observed sending phishing to compromise targets and obtain access to a victim’s KakaoTalk desktop application to distribute malicious payloads to certain contacts.The activity has been attributed by South Korean threat intelligence firm Genians to a hacking group referred to as Konni.”Initial access was achieved through a spear-phishing email disguised…
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Breach Roundup: Russian State Actors Target Signal, WhatsApp
Also, More ClickFix Attacks and Teen Booters Arrested in Poland. This week, Russian hackers targeted Signal and WhatsApp users, permit-fee phishing hit U.S. applicants, ClickFix on WordPress sites, Microsoft patched 80 bugs, a 14K-router botnet, Polish teens held over DDoS tools and Finland warned of Russian, Chinese espionage. North Korean IT workers for hire. First…
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US sanctions North Korea IT worker networks in Laos, Vietnam
The latest round of sanctions targeted Amnokgang Technology Development Company, a North Korean company that manages delegations of IT workers, and Quangvietdnbg International Services Company, a Vietnamese firm used by North Korean actors for currency conversion services. First seen on therecord.media Jump to article: therecord.media/us-sanctions-north-korea-it-worker-networks-laos-vietnam
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North Korean fake IT worker tradecraft exposed
Opportunistic and broadly targeted: These suspect code silos were abused in a variety of illicit projects split between targeting job-seeking programmers and fake IT worker operations.”Based on our visibility, malware operations targeting individual developers seeking employment are most common,” Oliver Smith, senior threat intelligence engineer at GitLab, told CSO. “Threat actors appear to have a…
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North Korean fake IT worker tradecraft exposed
Opportunistic and broadly targeted: These suspect code silos were abused in a variety of illicit projects split between targeting job-seeking programmers and fake IT worker operations.”Based on our visibility, malware operations targeting individual developers seeking employment are most common,” Oliver Smith, senior threat intelligence engineer at GitLab, told CSO. “Threat actors appear to have a…
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Fake LinkedIn Interview Used by Lazarus Hackers to Target AllSecure CEO
Researchers at AllSecure have revealed how North Korean hackers from the Lazarus Group used a fake LinkedIn job interview and deepfake technology to target their CEO. First seen on hackread.com Jump to article: hackread.com/fake-linkedin-interview-lazarus-hackers-allsecure-ceo/
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UNC4899 Breached Crypto Firm After Developer AirDropped Trojanized File to Work Device
The North Korean threat actor known as UNC4899 is suspected to be behind a sophisticated cloud compromise campaign targeting a cryptocurrency organization in 2025 to steal millions of dollars in cryptocurrency.The activity has been attributed with moderate confidence to the state-sponsored adversary, which is also tracked under the cryptonyms Jade Sleet, PUKCHONG, Slow Pisces, and…
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Microsoft warns North Korean threat groups are scaling up fake worker schemes with generative AI
Attackers have turned AI into a “force multiplier” for the country’s expansive scheme to get and keep operatives hired at global companies, researchers said. First seen on cyberscoop.com Jump to article: cyberscoop.com/microsoft-north-korea-ai-operations/
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North Korean APTs Use AI to Enhance IT Worker Scams
DPRK worker scams are old hat, but they’re still working, thanks to AI tools that help with everything from face swapping to daily emails. First seen on darkreading.com Jump to article: www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/north-korean-apts-ai-it-worker-scams