A new report on North Korea's cyber activities has shocked the whole world. According to American cyber security firm DTEX, North Korea's IT workers are working like an organized crime syndicate, something like the "La Cosa Nostra" mafia in America. The only difference is that there used to be five gangs there, here there is only one and that is Kim Jong Un's power.
'Digital soldiers' are prepared from childhood
In north korea, children are identified during their school days. Any child who performs well in math or science is prepared to become a cyber army or IT worker. These children study in institutions like Kim Sung Il Military university and Kumsong Academy and from there they become future hackers, coders and masters of the dark web.
The whole game of 'bro network'
A kind of 'bro network' runs among these workers. Old school friends give each other tips about which project will fetch more money or which client will quietly make the payment. But this network looks as friendly from outside as it is toxic from inside. Everyone has to earn their quota of dollars, otherwise punishment is certain.
Earning target and penalty
In 2025, north korea doubled the monthly earning target of its IT workers based in China. Now if a worker earns 5000 dollars, he can keep only 200 dollars for himself. The rest goes to the government. DTEX report shows that these workers work for 16 hours daily, six days a week, without holidays.
Competition among team members too
Workers are divided into teams of 4-5 people and made to compete with each other. The one who brings in more dollars gets a reward or a leave, the one who stays behind has to face mental stress, beatings and sometimes even physical punishment.
'Cyber intrusion' on job platforms
These IT workers get jobs in big companies of America and europe by creating fake identities. Especially remote jobs. They have infiltrated companies using American names, fake IDs and documents. As soon as a new job is posted, within 3 hours some North Korean worker applies for it, especially in jobs related to crypto or software.
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