North Korea's Money Maze: How Hackers and IT Workers Fund the Regime's Secrets

North Korea has a sneaky way of making money. They use hackers and IT workers to steal and launder cash. This cash funds their weapons programs. The U. S. Treasury Department recently put sanctions on 10 North Korean individuals and entities involved in these shady deals. These hackers and IT workers are part of a bigger problem. They help North Korea avoid sanctions and fund their nuclear weapons program. The Treasury Department says North Korean hackers have stolen over $3 billion in the past three years. They use tricky malware and social engineering to do this. One of the sanctioned entities is Korea Mangyongdae Computer Technology Company (KMCTC). They send IT workers to China and use Chinese nationals as banking proxies. This helps them hide the origin of their funds. The IT workers also work with freelance programmers to get jobs and split the revenue. The Treasury Department also accused North Korea of using its IT army to get jobs at companies. They hide their nationality and identities to do this. They then send a big chunk of their income back to North Korea. The U. S. Treasury Department is serious about stopping these activities. They have imposed sanctions on those involved. They also plan to continue pursuing those who help North Korea avoid sanctions.