U.S. Arrests Facilitator in North Korean IT Worker Scheme; Seizes 29 Domains and Raids 21 Laptop Farms
Jul 01, 2025
Cybercrime / Cyber Threat
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) on Monday announced sweeping actions targeting the North Korean information technology (IT) worker scheme, leading to the arrest of one individual and the seizure of 29 financial accounts, 21 fraudulent websites, and nearly 200 computers. The coordinated action saw searches of 21 known or suspected "laptop farms" between June 10 and 17, 2025, across 14 states in the U.S. that were put to use by North Korean IT workers to remotely connect to victim networks via company-provided laptop computers. "The North Korean actors were assisted by individuals in the United States, China, United Arab Emirates, and Taiwan, and successfully obtained employment with more than 100 U.S. companies," the DoJ said . The North Korean IT worker scheme has become one of the crucial cogs in the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea (DPRK) revenue generation machine in a manner that bypasses international sanctions. The fraudulent operation...