Latest news with #JasperSleet
NDTV
3 days ago
- Business
- NDTV
FBI And Microsoft Bust Massive North Korean Laptop Farm Scam Across US
In a major crackdown, Microsoft has suspended 3,000 Outlook and Hotmail accounts linked to North Korean IT workers involved in a global job fraud scheme. The company's Threat Intelligence team, calling the operation "Jasper Sleet," outlined its findings in a detailed post, revealing the scope of the elaborate scam. The US Department of Justice also joined the operation, seizing hundreds of laptops, 29 financial accounts, and shutting down nearly 24 websites. Authorities raided 29 "laptop farms" across the US, where Americans were helping foreign workers gain unauthorized access to remote jobs, according to the Fortune Magazine. These accomplices either installed remote access tools on company-issued laptops or shipped them to countries like Russia and China. Some Americans even rented out their identities to help North Koreans apply for US tech jobs. A Maryland nail salon worker was recently caught running a massive scheme, managing 13 remote IT jobs on behalf of North Korean workers. He pocketed nearly $1 million through this illicit activity. After pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, he's set to be sentenced in August. This case is part of a larger effort to crack down on North Korea's use of overseas tech jobs to fund its regime. According to the Microsoft Security, North Korea has deployed thousands of remote IT workers to assume jobs in software and web development as part of a revenue generation scheme for the North Korean government. These highly skilled workers are most often located in North Korea, China, and Russia, and use tools such as virtual private networks (VPNs) and remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools together with witting accomplices to conceal their locations and identities. Historically, North Korea's fraudulent remote worker scheme has focused on targeting United States (US) companies in the technology, critical manufacturing, and transportation sectors. However, we've observed North Korean remote workers evolving to broaden their scope to target various industries globally that offer technology-related roles. Since 2020, the US government and cybersecurity community have identified thousands of North Korean workers infiltrating companies across various industries. The North Korean IT worker scheme generates up to $600 million a year, according to UN estimates, and the IT workers share information with more malicious cyber attackers that have stolen billions in crypto. The revenue generated by the scheme and the illicitly heisted crypto are used to fund DPRK authoritarian ruler Kim Jong Un's nuclear weapons program, according to the FBI and the US Department of Justice.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Microsoft suspends 3,000 Outlook and Hotmail accounts with…
Microsoft has suspended approximately 3,000 Outlook and Hotmail accounts linked to North Korean IT workers as part of a coordinated crackdown on a sophisticated global fraud scheme. The tech giant's Threat Intelligence Center identified the operation, dubbed "Jasper Sleet," which has infiltrated hundreds of Fortune 500 companies over recent years. The scheme involves North Korean IT workers using fabricated or stolen identities to secure remote jobs in tech companies worldwide. These workers, trained and dispatched by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), have successfully obtained legitimate employment, with some companies reporting that the remote workers were among their most talented employees. DOJ seizes laptops and shuts down 'laptop farms' across US The Department of Justice announced a coordinated takedown alongside Microsoft's account suspensions, seizing hundreds of laptops, 29 financial accounts, and shutting down nearly two dozen websites. Law enforcement searched 29 "laptop farms" across the United States, where accomplices—including Americans—agreed to maintain laptops shipped by companies that unknowingly hired North Koreans for remote positions. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like De geheime hulp bij urineverlies waar niemand over praat Damesondergoed Meer informatie Undo A notable case involves a Maryland nail salon employee who will be sentenced in August after being found to hold 13 remote jobs handled by North Korean IT workers located in China. These positions paid nearly $1 million combined. AI tools help workers evade detection in $600 million scheme The North Korean IT worker conspiracy generates up to $600 million annually, according to UN estimates. The revenue funds Kim Jong Un's nuclear weapons program, making cybersecurity a national security issue. Microsoft reports that the workers are increasingly using AI tools to improve their deception tactics—eliminating grammatical errors, enhancing photos, and experimenting with voice-changing software. The company has developed custom machine-learning solutions using "impossible time travel risk detections" to identify suspect accounts logging in from Western nations and China or Russia simultaneously. While Microsoft hasn't observed combined AI voice and video technology yet, the company warns this could allow future threat actors to conduct interviews directly without relying on facilitators.
