New Zealand’s cyber agency says a North Korean IT contractor used a false identity for remote work at a large New Zealand company. The firm ended his contract and refused payment after identifying him; he claimed to hold sensitive data and threatened to release it unless paid.
The agency said he used fake identity documents and a New Zealand address as a contact point, and recruited a New Zealand citizen to receive and operate the company’s laptop.
The 48-page assessment said 23 percent of major cyberattacks on New Zealand last year were state-sponsored, naming China, Russia, Iran and North Korea as countries that had launched attacks. It warned of rising South Pacific risk from state-sponsored espionage targeting governments and infrastructure. The agency said North Korean IT workers sometimes undertake malicious cyber operations and often operate through front companies overseen by the North Korean state; it urged face-to-face interviews with contractors. In July, the United States and 10 allies warned that the workers’ labor generated foreign currency to fund North Korea’s nuclear program; North Korea denied the allegations.
