In a startling revelation of modern cyber-espionage, Amazon's security team uncovered a North Korean operative who had infiltrated the company's network by posing as a remote IT worker for a contractor. The critical clue was an almost imperceptible lag in his typing speed.
The Tell-Tale Lag That Exposed an Imposter
Amazon Chief Security Officer Stephen Schmidt detailed how an "infinitesimal" delay in keystroke data first raised red flags. The employee claimed to be working from within the United States, but the data told a different story. While keystrokes from a domestic worker typically reach Amazon's Seattle headquarters in tens of milliseconds, this specific machine showed a consistent latency of more than 110 milliseconds.
This tiny delay was the digital fingerprint indicating the person controlling the corporate laptop was actually located halfway across the world. Schmidt explained this finding to Bloomberg, highlighting how sophisticated monitoring tools are now essential for verifying the physical locations of a remote workforce.
A Growing Trend of Sanctions Evasion
This incident is not isolated. It is part of a dangerous and growing pattern where North Korean citizens bypass international sanctions by securing remote IT roles using false identities. These individuals often work through third-party contractors, with their wages being funneled back to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to fund state weapons programs.
The shift to remote work has been exploited by such impostors, granting them access to sensitive corporate infrastructure. This has created significant legal and security challenges for companies globally, forcing giants like Amazon to deploy highly technical countermeasures.
Massive Scale of Infiltration Attempts
The scale of this threat is immense. Since April 2024, Amazon has intercepted and stopped more than 1,800 attempts by North Koreans trying to get hired, Schmidt revealed during a security meeting in New York. Alarmingly, these attempts have been increasing at an average rate of 27% from one three-month period to the next this year.
Schmidt clarified to Bloomberg that Amazon did not directly hire any North Koreans. However, the sheer volume of fake applicants and the fact that a work computer was sent to a contractor who was ultimately working for North Korea serve as a major warning sign for the industry. "If we hadn't been looking for the DPRK workers, we would not have found them," Schmidt stated.
How the Operation Unfolded
Earlier this year, Amazon security personnel began closely monitoring a systems administrator hired by an outside company. This was triggered after monitoring tools on the individual's Amazon laptop flagged strange activity. The investigation revealed the computer was being controlled remotely. Amazon tracked the internet traffic as far as possible, tracing it back to China.
Fortunately, the compromised system did not have access to "anything interesting," according to Schmidt. This allowed security workers to observe the imposter's actions. The truth became clear upon examining the job application and resume submitted to the contractor. "This looks like somebody who had used the same playbook as other North Koreans that we've seen to get this job," Schmidt recalled.
An Amazon spokesperson informed Bloomberg that the person working for North Korea was an Arizona woman sentenced to years in prison in July for her role in a scheme to aid fake IT workers.
Common Red Flags and Security Lessons
Schmidt outlined common patterns used by these fake applicants. While some steal real identities, many follow a similar script: claiming to have studied at the same schools and worked at the same companies, often overseas consulting firms that are difficult to verify from the US. Other linguistic warning signs include struggling with common American expressions and basic English articles like "a," "an," or "the."
The imposter was removed from Amazon's systems within days of detection. Schmidt emphasized the crucial importance of thorough background checks that go beyond platforms like LinkedIn. He also stressed the need for "quality security software" capable of detecting subtle anomalies, such as minor delays in data transfer from keyboard inputs.
This case underscores a new frontier in corporate cybersecurity, where geopolitical conflicts and sanctions evasion are playing out within the networks of global companies, making vigilant, technically advanced security protocols more critical than ever.
