Arizona Woman Sentenced for Helping North Korean IT Workers by Operating Laptop Farm

The scheme involved systematic identity theft of 68 U.S. citizens, whose personal information was used to create false employment profiles for North Korean IT workers seeking remote positions at major American corporations. The targeted companies represented diverse sectors of the American economy, including Fortune 500 corporations, a major television network, Silicon Valley technology firms, aerospace manufacturers, automotive companies, luxury retailers, and media conglomerates. North Korean operatives maintained detailed target repositories of companies they sought to infiltrate and attempted unsuccessful penetrations of two U.S. government agencies. Moss imposed additional penalties, including three years of supervised release, forfeiture of $284,555.92 intended for North Korean operatives, and a judgment of $176,850. Arizona woman sentenced to 102 months for helping North Korean IT workers infiltrate 309 U.S. companies. Operated a "laptop farm" to deceive companies while shipping devices to North Korean operatives. The case represents one of the largest documented instances of state-sponsored employment fraud targeting U.S. corporations and highlights critical vulnerabilities in remote work verification systems.

This Cyber News was published on cybersecuritynews.com. Publication date: Mon, 28 Jul 2025 06:30:19 +0000


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