A NORTH Korean IT worker used a fake identity to obtain remote work with a New Zealand company and then threatened to release sensitive information when exposed, Wellington’s cybersecurity agency said.
New Zealand’s National Cyber Security Centre said the IT contractor was working remotely for a large New Zealand business, which grew “suspicious” of his true identity over time.
“Investigation identified the worker as being from North Korea,” it said yesterday.
“The North Korean worker used a false persona including fake identity documents, a New Zealand address as a contact point and recruited a New Zealand citizen to receive and operate the company’s laptop.”
On learning the contractor’s true identity, the business ended their employment and refused to pay for their services.
The worker then “claimed to have obtained commercially sensitive information and threatened to release this if not paid”, the report added.
North Korea faces a slew of international sanctions over its weapons and nuclear programmes, which ban its citizens from being issued work visas abroad among a litany of other restrictions. — AFP
