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North Korea-linked hackers reportedly using sophisticated tactics to gain access to global companies

Published: 13 Apr. 2026, 16:18 Updated: 13 Apr. 2026, 18:38

North Korean flag, left, and an image of a hacker [YONHAP]

North Korea-linked hackers are using increasingly sophisticated tactics, including psychological manipulation, to target individuals and gain access to global companies, new reports found.

Cybersecurity firms Genians Security Center and Group-IB have each released reports analyzing the latest tactics of North Korea-linked threat groups, according to the security industry on Monday.

Genians found that a North Korea-linked group known as APT37 has recently targeted Facebook users to distribute malware.

The group approaches its targets by posing as North Korean defectors on Facebook, then moves conversations to Telegram and offers to send “encrypted military weapons documents,” inducing victims to install a fake PDF viewer.

To avoid detection, the attackers used the Seoul branch website of a Japanese real estate service as a control server and created a multistep system in which malware was disguised as image files to carry out further commands.

The stolen data was then distributed through legitimate cloud services.

During the analysis process, North Korean-style spellings were detected.

Group-IB also uncovered a network of North Koreans operating in online freelance job markets, portfolio websites and other platforms such as GitHub. They used fake identities and AI-generated job applications to override security checks and gain access to company systems.

The attackers also created convincing job applications to communicate with employers.

The hackers' network reportedly spanned repositories and email accounts.

Group-IB highlighted a “synthetic identity package repository” containing structured employment workflows as a key finding. The firm explained that this demonstrates that the operation is being carried out at a highly industrialized scale.

BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]