Imagine applying for a job online, thinking you're competing against regular candidates, but in reality, one of them might be a North Korean agent. This isn't fiction. It's happening. Amazon's top brass just revealed they've put a stop to over 1,800 such applications. That's a staggering number. They're not just applying. They're using stolen or fake identities to sneak in through the digital backdoor.

Stephen Schmidt, Amazon's chief security officer, shared this unsettling revelation in a LinkedIn post. Their goal? It's as sinister as it gets: find a job, get paid, then send that money back to fund the regime's weapons programs. And if you think this is just an isolated incident, think again. Schmidt warns this is likely happening across the tech world, especially in the US.

Rising Threats and Deceptive Tactics

But why is this happening now? Authorities both in the US and South Korea have been sounding the alarms about online scams orchestrated by Pyongyang's operatives. Amazon's seen a spike—a nearly one-third increase in these applications from North Koreans over the past year. It's an alarming trend.

These operatives aren't working alone. They're teaming up with people running "laptop farms"—computers in the US controlled remotely from outside. How does Amazon tackle this? With a blend of AI tools and human verification. It's a game of cat and mouse. The fraudsters are getting smarter, using leaked credentials to hijack dormant LinkedIn accounts and pose as legitimate software engineers.

Schmidt urges companies to report any fishy job applications. Look out for red flags like odd phone number formats or education histories that don't add up. It's not just Amazon in this fight. In June, US officials revealed 29 illegal "laptop farms" operated by North Korean IT workers. These farms used stolen American identities to help North Koreans land jobs in the US.

Criminal Networks and Consequences

What happens when they get caught? The DOJ indicted US brokers who facilitated these jobs for North Korean operatives. Take the case from July: an Arizona woman got over eight years in jail for running a laptop farm. She helped North Korean IT workers get remote jobs at more than 300 American companies. The scheme raked in over $17 million in illegal profits for her and Pyongyang. This isn't a small-time operation. It's organized, calculated, and deeply troubling.

The stakes are high. The infiltration of North Korean agents into US companies is a threat not just to the businesses themselves but potentially to national security. Amazon's actions are a wake-up call. The digital battlefield is real, and the enemies are not always who we expect.