A recent report in Yahoo News has revealed a dramatic surge in North Korean infiltration attempts targeting Western companies. According to U.S. and allied security agencies, thousands of IT professionals with hidden ties to Pyongyang are disguising themselves as freelancers or remote job applicants to funnel money and intelligence back to the regime.
While the story is only now breaking into mainstream coverage, this is far from new. At Scaut, we have been warning about the growing threat of foreign infiltration for years.
A Threat We’ve Been Documenting for Years
- In our 2024 post A Warning: Foreign Infiltration of Western Companies, we described how companies across Europe were already encountering fraudulent applicants with suspicious backgrounds.
- In The Hidden Threat: Espionage in Europe and the Importance of Knowing Your Employees, we highlighted how espionage isn’t only about governments—it often starts with fake CVs and seemingly ordinary hires.
- In AI Helps Create Fake Documents – Recruiters Often Don’t Recognise Them, we exposed how new technologies enable fraudsters to bypass even seasoned recruiters.
- And in Chinese Infiltrate Czech Companies: Startups Encounter Fake IT Applicants, we provided concrete cases from the Czech market where companies were already under attack.
What is becoming headline news today, we have been actively fighting for years.
Why North Korean IT Workers Are a Unique Threat
North Korean operatives are often highly skilled, disciplined, and trained to operate in the shadows. They use stolen or fake identities, sometimes even deepfake videos for interviews, to infiltrate remote teams. Once inside, they gain access to sensitive systems, intellectual property, and financial assets—all while secretly sending profits back to fund weapons programs.
The explosion in these cases is not surprising. It is the logical consequence of:
- Growing demand for remote IT talent.
- Lack of proper background verification processes.
- Increasingly sophisticated deception techniques.
Scaut’s Role: Europe’s First Mover in Screening Technology
At Scaut, we are proud to say we were the first screening company in Europe to bring this issue to light and to actively build technology solutions to detect and prevent infiltration.
Our work combines:
- AI-based fraud detection to flag fake CVs and manipulated documents.
- Identity and background verification across jurisdictions.
- Continuous research and monitoring of emerging threats.
This is why hundreds of European companies rely on us—not just to hire, but to hire securely.
What Companies Should Do Today
- Stop relying solely on resumes and LinkedIn profiles.
- Verify identities using independent screening tools.
- Train recruiters to recognize deception techniques.
- Implement ongoing monitoring of your workforce—not just pre-hire checks.
Conclusion
The North Korean infiltration wave confirms what Scaut has been saying for years: the hiring process has become the new frontline of corporate security. Companies that fail to adapt will expose themselves not just to fraud, but to espionage and national security risks.
