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US Dismantles North Korean Remote IT Worker Network

The crackdown aims to sever multimillion-dollar revenue channels financing North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

This photo from the US District Court District of Massachusetts shows North Korean information technology workers on a multi-member team that the US Department of Justice says works with the North Korean government to fund its regime. Note: Parts of the image provided by the US District Court District of Massachusetts have been obscured.
FILE - The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a press conference with Attorney General Pam Bondi, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at the Justice Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, file)
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Overview

  • The Department of Justice and FBI arrested U.S. national Zhenxing “Danny” Wang on June 30 and unsealed indictments against 16 co-conspirators for facilitating the scheme.
  • Investigators found that operatives used stolen identities of over 80 U.S. citizens to land jobs at more than 100 American firms and exfiltrate sensitive data, including ITAR-controlled source code.
  • Authorities executed searches of 21 sites hosting “laptop farms,” seizing 137 laptops as well as 29 financial accounts and dozens of fraudulent websites and domains.
  • Court filings show the network generated over $5 million for the North Korean regime while victim companies incurred at least $3 million in remediation and legal costs.
  • The action is part of the DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative, marking a major escalation in U.S. efforts to cut off Pyongyang’s illicit funding streams.