North Korean Threat Actors Target Software Developers With Phony Job Interviews

Suspected North Korean threat actors are attempting to trick software developers into downloading malware during phony job interviews, according to researchers at Securonix.

The threat actors contact software developers with seemingly legitimate employment opportunities before scheduling virtual job interviews.

“During these fraudulent interviews, the developers are often asked to perform tasks that involve downloading and running software from sources that appear legitimate, such as GitHub,” the researchers explain. “The software contained a malicious Node JS payload that, once executed, compromised the developer’s system.”

If the interviewee runs the software, it will install a custom-made remote access trojan (RAT) written in Python.

“This method is effective because it exploits the developer’s professional engagement and trust in the job application process, where refusal to perform the interviewer’s actions could compromise the job opportunity,” Securonix says. “The attackers tailor their approach to appear as credible as possible, often by mimicking real companies and replicating actual interview processes. This guise of professionalism and legitimacy lulls the target into a false sense of security, making it easier to deploy malware without arousing suspicion.”

Securonix offers the following recommendations to help users avoid falling for these attacks:

• “Raise awareness to the fact that people are targets of social engineering attacks just as technology is exploitation. Remaining extra vigilant and security continuous, even during high-stress situations is critical to preventing the issue altogether.”
• “Monitor for the usage of non-default scripting languages such as Python on endpoints and servers which should normally not execute it. To assist in this, leverage additional process-level logging such as Sysmon and PowerShell logging for additional log detection coverage.”

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Securonix has the story.