North Korean Operative Performs Social Engineering Attack on Kraken Crypto Exchange ⋆ ZyCrypto
The post North Korean Operative Performs Social Engineering Attack on Kraken Crypto Exchange ⋆ ZyCrypto appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
Advertisement     Kraken, a crypto exchange, caught a North Korean agent trying to infiltrate the company through a job interview. Kraken noticed something was wrong when the interviewee used a different name from the one listed on his resume. The Kraken team then performed open-source intelligence scans on the interviewee and discovered he was associated with nefarious activity. After red flags started to show, the Kraken team continued interviewing the applicant to get as much information as possible on a potential security breach. The applicant applied for the job after a regular recruitment process. The applicant, however, slipped up on the first call and gave a different name to the one on his resume. The interviewee further displayed signs of having someone coach him during the interview. Kraken, however, was aware of North Korean operatives targeting crypto exchanges, thanks to a partner company giving Kraken the heads-up. For example, other crypto companies were aware of the email used by the interviewee because it was flagged as being associated with disreputable activities. Kraken performed open intelligence analysis on the information they provided, including the email address, and discovered that it had been used multiple times by other employees hired at crypto companies. Many signs were pointing to an organized campaign. The applicant routed his internet traffic through a stand-alone Macintosh workstation to disguise his location. Open-source intelligence linked the applicant’s email to a known data breach. Even the applicant’s identity could be traced to a possible identity theft. Needless to say, the applicant was brazen in his attempts to infiltrate Kraken. Crypto companies like Kraken often employ remote workers to maintain their exchanges. Although the process can be incredibly convenient for workers and managers, there are also a few security holes. Kraken has learned a valuable lesson during this experience,…
Filed under: News - @ May 3, 2025 1:28 pm