Security News > 2024 > May > Five charged for cyber schemes to benefit North Korea's weapons program
The U.S. Justice Department charged five individuals today, a U.S. Citizen woman, a Ukrainian man, and three foreign nationals, for their involvement in cyber schemes that generated revenue for North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
They were allegedly involved between October 2020 and October 2023 in a campaign coordinated by the North Korean government "To infiltrate U.S. job markets through fraud in an effort to raise revenue for the North Korean government and its illicit nuclear program."
Today, the U.S. State Department announced a reward of up to $5 million for any information related to Chapman's co-conspirators, the North Korean IT workers charged today, and their manager, only known as Zhonghua.
According to the indictment, Chapman housed the North Korean IT workers' computers in her own home, creating a "Laptop farm" to make it appear as though her co-conspirators' devices were in the United States.
Today, the FBI also issued an advisory with more information on how North Korea's IT workers undermine the security of companies that hire them and guidance on how to spot North Korean IT worker schemes.
Previously, the United States also published joint advisories with foreign partners warning of North Korean IT worker schemes and sanctioned multiple organizations involved in North Korea's IT worker revenue generation schemes.