Dark Clouds: North Korean Agents Penetrate the Crypto Industry on a Large Scale

It has become clear that the security of the crypto industry is in a critical situation. According to Pablo Sabatella, founder of the Web3 audit firm “opsek”, 30-40% of the job applications received by the industry are from North Korean special agents.

What is happening

Their method is as follows:

• Hire “dummy characters” from around the world via an outsourcing platform.
• Remote control of that person's PC
• Infiltrate a crypto company by impersonating an American

The situation is even more serious, with 15-20% of crypto companies already infiltrated by North Korean operatives, warns Mr. Sabatella.

Why is this happening

The security measures in the crypto industry are at the “worst level across the entire computer industry.” Founders and team members are prime targets for social engineering attacks and malware attacks.

The laxity in OPSEC (Operational Security) is what has allowed such organizational infiltration to occur.