North Korean operatives are using fake identities to secure remote tech jobs at US companies and make millions for Kim Jong Un’s regime. CNN’s Teele Rebane breaks down how the scheme works and what to look for online.

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North Korean operatives have been seeking remote IT positions at American companies by creating fake profiles on LinkedIn, according to cybersecurity experts and open-source data reviewed by CNN. These operatives use generic Western names, AI-generated or altered profile photos, and claim work experience at well-known institutions to appear legitimate. The U.S. Department of Justice has identified this activity as a state-sponsored effort to generate funds for North Korea's regime and military programs, with some operatives reportedly infiltrating Fortune 500 companies.

Investigations have revealed that these operatives often use VPN services, remote access software, and translation tools to facilitate their work and communications. Digital evidence, such as AI face swaps and English-to-Korean translations, has helped researchers identify patterns linking these profiles to North Korean actors. The scheme poses potential risks to U.S. national security and highlights the challenges of detecting sophisticated fraudulent activity on professional networking platforms.

How to spot a North Korean operative on Linkedin

My contract ended last week, so I'm currently looking for a new opportunity. If you own a company or work in recruitment, I was working remotely most of the time. you might have interviewed a North Korean operative and not even know it. Hi. I can start immediately. Hundreds of them have been using fake identities to seek remote IT jobs at American companies in a state-sponsored effort to make money for the North Korean regime and fund its military programs. I try to listen to everyone's idea and provide assistance when needed. The DOJ has said that over the past couple of years, the North Koreans have quietly made their way into Fortune 500 companies, potentially putting U.S. national security at risk. It's now gotten to the point where some experts say that it's hard to find a major company that the North Koreans have not targeted. CNN spoke with leading experts from cybersecurity firms and reviewed dozens of open-source data sets from North Korean computers to understand how the North Korean IT workers operate. Now, let's take a look at some of these LinkedIn profiles. This is Joe Paul. He's a suspected North Korean IT worker, and looking at his profile, right away, there are a couple of things that immediately set us off. The generic Western name, the cheesy cover photo, previous work experience at Walmart or at the National University of Singapore, these are all common experiences that the North Koreans claim to have had. When we ran this profile photo through AI detection software, it quickly came up as AI-generated. In some cases, the whole photo isn't AI-generated, but the face has been swapped for a new one. The original looks like this. And here's the edited version, with a new face superimposed on it. Experts have matched this exact profile to data sets that they believe originate from the computers of North Korean operatives. These data sets include everything, from their online search histories to the applications that they've downloaded, giving us rare insight into how the North Koreans pull off this scheme. Right away, there are a couple of hints that Elias might not be the Spanish developer that he claims to be. AstroVPN is a popular VPN service in China, where the North Koreans often base themselves. And we also see him downloading remote working software that allows the North Koreans to remotely access their work computers, which are hosted by facilitators in the US. Next, we see him looking up dozens of job postings, and his calendar appears to be packed with job interview invites from companies all around the world. He's also looked up and used AI face swap on multiple occasions, which explains the profile photo that we saw earlier. And finally, there's Google Translate searches that show him translating email correspondence and job tasks from English to Korean. Good morning, everyone. Last week, I've worked on some factoring tasks. When you line up all of the digital breadcrumbs, the AI face swap, the remote access software, the English-Korean translations, researchers say that the pattern is clear. The man claiming to be Elias Alma-Kurtihamans is likely to actually be a North Korean IT worker.

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