No Result
View All Result
SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLES
  • Login
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
TheAdviserMagazine.com
  • Home
  • Financial Planning
    • Financial Planning
    • Personal Finance
  • Market Research
    • Business
    • Investing
    • Money
    • Economy
    • Markets
    • Stocks
    • Trading
  • 401k Plans
  • College
  • IRS & Taxes
  • Estate Plans
  • Social Security
  • Medicare
  • Legal
  • Home
  • Financial Planning
    • Financial Planning
    • Personal Finance
  • Market Research
    • Business
    • Investing
    • Money
    • Economy
    • Markets
    • Stocks
    • Trading
  • 401k Plans
  • College
  • IRS & Taxes
  • Estate Plans
  • Social Security
  • Medicare
  • Legal
No Result
View All Result
TheAdviserMagazine.com
No Result
View All Result
Home Market Research Business

A North Korean agent applied for a job at a popular crypto firm: They tripped him up with a simple question about Halloween

by TheAdviserMagazine
6 months ago
in Business
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
A North Korean agent applied for a job at a popular crypto firm: They tripped him up with a simple question about Halloween
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LInkedIn



The hiring team at Kraken, a U.S-based crypto exchange, noticed immediately that something was off about “Steven Smith,” a would-be IT worker who applied for a software engineering job in early October. But it wasn’t until they compared Smith’s email to a list of those suspected to be part of a hacker group that their suspicions were confirmed: Smith was a North Korean operative. 

Kraken could have just tossed the application. Instead, Kraken’s chief security officer, Nick Percoco, decided to take a closer look at Steven Smith. He saw this as an opportunity to learn more about the infiltration tactics of North Korea, which have robbed billions from crypto companies, and how he could prevent that from happening at Kraken. 

Percoco decided to advance Smith through the hiring process, having him speak with a recruiter and perform a technical test before setting up an interview. “We said this is going to be a get to know you, sort of, cultural interview.” Percoco told Fortune. “That’s where he really failed. I don’t think he actually answered any questions that we asked him.”

Smith was claiming to have received a bachelor’s degree in computer science from New York University, according to a copy of his resume reviewed by Fortune. He also claimed to have more than 11 years of experience as a software engineer at U.S-based companies like Cisco and Kindly Human. 

The interview was scheduled for Halloween, a classic American holiday—especially for college students in New York—that Smith seemed to know nothing about. 

“Watch out tonight because some people might be ringing your doorbell, kids with chainsaws,” Percoco said, referring to the tradition of trick or treating. “What do you do when those people show up?”

Smith shrugged and shook his head. “Nothing special,” he said. 

Smith was also unable to answer simple questions about Houston, the town he had supposedly been living in for two years. Despite having listed “food” as an interest on his resume, Smith was unable to come up with a straight answer when asked about his favorite restaurant in the Houston area. He looked around for a few seconds before mumbling, “nothing special here.”

Here is the clip from the interview where Smith was asked about his favorite restaurant.

When asked to produce a physical ID, Smith said he didn’t have access to one at the moment but after a few minutes he shared a photo of a driver’s license with his name and photo. The address listed on the ID was over 300 miles away from Houston. 

Smith’s job application is part of a growing threat facing American companies as thousands of supposed IT workers with ties to North Korea try to get hired for remote work in foreign countries. The network of operatives is part of an effort to fund the country’s weapons of mass destruction program by working multiple jobs at once and gaining access to companies to steal money from inside. 

A growing threat

Kraken may have dodged a bullet but some companies haven’t been so lucky. The United Nations estimates that North Korea has generated between $250 million to $600 million per year by tricking overseas firms to hire its spies. A network of North Koreans, known as Famous Chollima, were behind 304 individual incidents last year, cybersecurity company CrowdStrike reported, predicting that the campaigns will continue to grow in 2025.  

Crypto has proven to be particularly vulnerable to this type of social engineering. The Lazarus Group, another network of North Koreans, has been linked to some of the largest crypto heists in history including the record-breaking $1.5 billion hack of crypto exchange ByBit in February and the theft of $540 million from the Ronin Network blockchain in 2022. 

While Percoco doesn’t know exactly what Smith’s intentions were, he assumes the operative intended to steal funds at some point. “They would get our company equipment, they would get access to some internal systems,” Percoco said. “What they would do after that, we don’t know but most likely try to steal funds.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



Source link

Tags: AgentAppliedCryptofirmHalloweenjobKoreanNorthPopularquestionsimpleTripped
ShareTweetShare
Previous Post

Why Designated Beneficiaries Are Key to Your Estate Planning

Next Post

Crypto VC Firm Dao5 Closes $222M Fund to Focus on Institutional Adoption Projects

Related Posts

edit post
VF Corp tops Q2 forecast on strong back-to-school, wholesale demand

VF Corp tops Q2 forecast on strong back-to-school, wholesale demand

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 29, 2025
0

However, on a constant dollar basis, revenue at VF Corp declined by 1% YoY. This still surpassed the company’s previously...

edit post
Akasa Air will look at IPO in next 2-5 years, says CEO Vinay Dube

Akasa Air will look at IPO in next 2-5 years, says CEO Vinay Dube

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 29, 2025
0

Akasa Air will look at an initial public offering in the next two to five years, its Founder and CEO...

edit post
Copper hits record on mine supply issues, US-China tension easing boosts rally

Copper hits record on mine supply issues, US-China tension easing boosts rally

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 29, 2025
0

Oct. 29, 2025 6:34 AM ETCopper Futures (HG1:COM), COPX, CPERFCX, SCCO, BHP, TECK, RIO, AAUKF, GLCNF, HBM, NGLOY, EROBy: Arundhati...

edit post
How Bupa’s CEO Iñaki Ereño woke a sleeping giant—and set a 100,000 strong workforce running toward digital health 

How Bupa’s CEO Iñaki Ereño woke a sleeping giant—and set a 100,000 strong workforce running toward digital health 

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 29, 2025
0

CEO Agenda provides unique insights into how leaders think and lead and what keeps them busy in a world of...

edit post
Metal sector remains a trading play, not a structural Bet: Dhananjay Sinha

Metal sector remains a trading play, not a structural Bet: Dhananjay Sinha

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 29, 2025
0

In an exclusive conversation with ET Now, Dhananjay Sinha from Systematix Group shared his perspective on the ongoing market trends,...

edit post
Asian stocks: Asian stocks open higher as AI, Fed lift sentiment

Asian stocks: Asian stocks open higher as AI, Fed lift sentiment

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 28, 2025
0

Asian stocks opened higher, buoyed by Wall Street optimism that artificial intelligence will keep fueling profits at major technology firms...

Next Post
edit post
Crypto VC Firm Dao5 Closes 2M Fund to Focus on Institutional Adoption Projects

Crypto VC Firm Dao5 Closes $222M Fund to Focus on Institutional Adoption Projects

edit post
Claynosaurz Sets To Launch A New NFT Collection This Month

Claynosaurz Sets To Launch A New NFT Collection This Month

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
edit post
77-year-old popular furniture retailer closes store locations

77-year-old popular furniture retailer closes store locations

October 18, 2025
edit post
Pennsylvania House of Representatives Rejects Update to Child Custody Laws

Pennsylvania House of Representatives Rejects Update to Child Custody Laws

October 7, 2025
edit post
What to Do When a Loved One Dies in North Carolina

What to Do When a Loved One Dies in North Carolina

October 8, 2025
edit post
Another Violent Outburst – Democrats Inciting Civil Unrest

Another Violent Outburst – Democrats Inciting Civil Unrest

October 24, 2025
edit post
Probate vs. Non-Probate Assets: What’s the Difference?

Probate vs. Non-Probate Assets: What’s the Difference?

October 17, 2025
edit post
California Attorney Pleads Guilty For Role In 2M Ponzi Scheme

California Attorney Pleads Guilty For Role In $912M Ponzi Scheme

October 15, 2025
edit post
VF Corp tops Q2 forecast on strong back-to-school, wholesale demand

VF Corp tops Q2 forecast on strong back-to-school, wholesale demand

0
edit post
Now He’s Saying to Buy

Now He’s Saying to Buy

0
edit post
The Trump Administration Is Lying Us Into Another War

The Trump Administration Is Lying Us Into Another War

0
edit post
Ferrari Launches NFT Car Collection – Receives Massive Criticism

Ferrari Launches NFT Car Collection – Receives Massive Criticism

0
edit post
What Kind of Halloween Candy Is The Cheapest in 2025?

What Kind of Halloween Candy Is The Cheapest in 2025?

0
edit post
Spruce Biosciences – SPRB: Citizens stuft auf „Market Outperform“ hoch!

Spruce Biosciences – SPRB: Citizens stuft auf „Market Outperform“ hoch!

0
edit post
VF Corp tops Q2 forecast on strong back-to-school, wholesale demand

VF Corp tops Q2 forecast on strong back-to-school, wholesale demand

October 29, 2025
edit post
The Trump Administration Is Lying Us Into Another War

The Trump Administration Is Lying Us Into Another War

October 29, 2025
edit post
Extending Inherited IRA Distributions Beyond 10 Years By Naming Intentionally Non-Designated Beneficiaries

Extending Inherited IRA Distributions Beyond 10 Years By Naming Intentionally Non-Designated Beneficiaries

October 29, 2025
edit post
Now He’s Saying to Buy

Now He’s Saying to Buy

October 29, 2025
edit post
Akasa Air will look at IPO in next 2-5 years, says CEO Vinay Dube

Akasa Air will look at IPO in next 2-5 years, says CEO Vinay Dube

October 29, 2025
edit post
Meta Earnings Preview: All Eyes on AI Monetization, Capex Ahead of Key Report

Meta Earnings Preview: All Eyes on AI Monetization, Capex Ahead of Key Report

October 29, 2025
The Adviser Magazine

The first and only national digital and print magazine that connects individuals, families, and businesses to Fee-Only financial advisers, accountants, attorneys and college guidance counselors.

CATEGORIES

  • 401k Plans
  • Business
  • College
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Economy
  • Estate Plans
  • Financial Planning
  • Investing
  • IRS & Taxes
  • Legal
  • Market Analysis
  • Markets
  • Medicare
  • Money
  • Personal Finance
  • Social Security
  • Startups
  • Stock Market
  • Trading

LATEST UPDATES

  • VF Corp tops Q2 forecast on strong back-to-school, wholesale demand
  • The Trump Administration Is Lying Us Into Another War
  • Extending Inherited IRA Distributions Beyond 10 Years By Naming Intentionally Non-Designated Beneficiaries
  • Our Great Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use, Legal Notices & Disclosures
  • Contact us
  • About Us

© Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved
See articles for original source and related links to external sites.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Financial Planning
    • Financial Planning
    • Personal Finance
  • Market Research
    • Business
    • Investing
    • Money
    • Economy
    • Markets
    • Stocks
    • Trading
  • 401k Plans
  • College
  • IRS & Taxes
  • Estate Plans
  • Social Security
  • Medicare
  • Legal

© Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved
See articles for original source and related links to external sites.