Part 13/16:
The final segment of today’s briefing covers North Korea’s evolving cyber strategy, particularly its use of cybercrime to fund its nuclear and military programs. The Department of Justice announced indictments against nine North Korean hackers operating in what appears to be a vast clandestine network spanning the U.S., China, the UAE, and Taiwan.
Between 2021 and 2024, these operatives leveraged stolen identities of over 80 U.S. citizens to infiltrate more than 100 companies, including defense contractors and blockchain research firms. They used false profiles and fake companies to secure remote IT roles, gaining access to sensitive data and siphoning off millions of dollars, which then flowed back into North Korea’s regime coffers.