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ARTICLE · 14 JULY 2025

The Cybersecurity Threat Posed By Remote IT Workers From North Korea: How Should Companies Respond?

Barnes & Thornburg LLP
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On June 30, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a series of actions to disrupt schemes involving remote information technology (IT) workers from North Korea.

North KoreaTechnology
Vineet Gauri
Vineet Gauri
Adetayo Osuntogun
Adetayo Osuntogun
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On June 30, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a series of actions to disrupt schemes involving remote information technology (IT) workers from North Korea. To combat this cybersecurity threat, companies should:

  1. Strengthen processes for hiring remote employees, contractors and vendors.
  2. Increase vigilance for suspicious activity by remote workers.
  3. Promptly report suspicious activity to law enforcement.

Further, if there is reason to believe that payments were made to North Korean IT workers or their intermediaries, companies should strongly consider voluntarily self-disclosing to the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

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