Sherlock

The scariest attack vector isn't a zero-day—it's a bad hire. North Korean IT workers aren't breaking in. They're being onboarded. Key signals for your teams: • Identity mismatches (address, docs, banking don't line up) • Interview behavior that feels "assisted" • Network activity that doesn't match claimed location One red flag? Investigate. Three? Don't onboard. Give security the tools to verify—not just the documents, but the person behind them. Your firewall won't stop someone with legitimate credentials.

I want to call this WSJ documentary to the attention of all hiring managers, HR, Talent Acquisition, and recruiters. It's shocking how state actors have exploited remote work and are now stealing identities, being hired, and exploiting organizations once they are inside. Of course, this threat is not new, but North Korea is doing it at a scale that is mind blowing. #fakeemployees

There's a growing concern over candidates using AI during interviews. This is, of course, valid, but I think we're focusing on the wrong issue. If someone can use AI to convince us they're qualified when they're not, maybe it's time to rethink what we're evaluating. For years, we've relied on interviews to predict performance. We reward polished answers, confident delivery, and the ability to think on your feet. AI is simply exposing what has always been true: interviews are only as effective as the questions we ask and the capabilities we're trying to measure. Rather than trying to eliminate AI from the hiring process, we should be rethinking how we assess talent. That means: - Shifting from evaluating answers to evaluating demonstrated capabilities. - Using work samples, simulations, and real-world scenarios to assess how people think and solve problems. - Recognizing AI fluency as a workplace skill rather than treating every use of AI as a form of deception. - Verifying qualifications through evidence of performance instead of relying primarily on interview performance. AI is becoming part of everyday work. Our hiring practices need to evolve with it. #HumanizingHumanCapital #TalentAcquisition #HiringProcess Dr. Solange Charas https://lnkd.in/gbYW8G8U

Every time I hear of friends who struggle to find employment it makes me wonder how many synthetic and stolen identities they’re actually up against in the job market. (If you haven’t already listened to the podcast “to catch a thief” then you should! It’s addictive and informative… I sat on my lunch every day for a few weeks and couldn’t get enough. It follows how these threat actors get legit access to systems without even needing to hack. Podcast author is a former NYT crime journalist and she just captivates you).. A very important reminder that identiity verification and watching human actions are just as important to security as technology. And this day in age they HAVE to go hand in hand because one thing technology will never be able to mimic 100% is our human “gut” instinct. I’m sad to know that there are American traitors who will willingly (or unknowingly) support these operations. What is this world coming to? https://lnkd.in/ekGqGBFp

The #Lazarus APT Remote Workers saga continues… Infiltrating Government and Businesses... How to spot North Korea’s covert cyber operators in plain sight. The latest investigation reveals how North Korean-linked groups like Lazarus are infiltrating organisations by posing as remote workers. Organizations must strengthen: 1. Identity Verification 2. Observed interview behavior 3. Apply least privilege principle (no local admin access), Prohibit remote access tools other than authorized remote tools, Endpoint detection and monitoring and Insider Threat detection. - Spotting Lazarus isn’t about chasing indicators, it’s about recognizing patterns of behavior. The human layer remains the most exploitable surface. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gwMAHJ2j #cybersecurity #databreach #dataprivacy #workfromhome #cyberattack

For my Cybersecurity Folk. This is the ultimate Honey Pot! A great read on North Korean IT worker infiltration. Get a cup of coffee or better yet, a bowl of popcorn for this extensive research; it reads like a Crime Drama. Interesting insights on TTPs, tools and good IOCs provided at the end. Via the ANY.RUN blog, written by Mauro Eldritch's and Heiner G. https://lnkd.in/gdGBA3by https[://]any[.]run/cybersecurity-blog/lazarus-group-it-workers-investigation-part-two/#introduction--22466 Copy/Paste & Remove the Square Brackets [ ] if you wish to navigate directly or share outside of LinkedIN.

Recruiting Scams Are Getting Out of Hand I just received 7 recruiting messages at once that raised serious red flags. And honestly? I’m tired of it. People are out here genuinely looking for work. They’re investing hours into applications, networking, interviews, updating resumes, and putting themselves out there — often during an already stressful time. So when scammers impersonate recruiters or companies and prey on job seekers, it’s more than annoying. It’s taking advantage of people who are trying to build their careers. If you’re job searching, please be cautious: 🔎 Verify the recruiter. Look them up independently and make sure they actually work for the organization they claim to represent. 📧 Look closely at the email address. A legitimate-looking name doesn’t mean the email is legitimate. 🏢 Verify the company and the position. Search for the role independently and check whether it exists on the company’s actual website. 🚩 Be cautious of urgency, vague job descriptions, unusual interview processes, or requests for personal/financial information. ❗ Never send money, banking information, passwords, or sensitive identification documents to an unverified recruiter. And if something feels off, trust your instincts and investigate before engaging further. Job seekers shouldn’t have to worry about being scammed while they’re simply trying to find their next opportunity. Recruiters and employers: please help protect candidates by making your recruiting processes transparent and verifiable. And to the scammers: stop preying on people who are actually trying out there. #JobSearch #Recruiting #RecruitmentScams #JobSeekers #CareerAdvice #LinkedIn #Hiring #JobScamAwareness

Recruiting fraud isn't new. What concerns me is how sophisticated it is becoming. After 16 months navigating today's job market, I received recruiter outreach that initially appeared credible. It used the name of a legitimate staffing company and referenced specific areas of my professional background. But something didn't add up. Rather than continuing the conversation, I independently contacted the staffing company's fraud department to verify the outreach. Their Director of Human Resources responded and confirmed that the individual and email domain were not associated with their organization. She also shared that they are seeing an increase in fraudulent postings impersonating their company. Job seekers have always been warned about employment scams. What's changing is how convincing those scams can now become. With AI and the enormous amount of professional information publicly available online, fraudulent outreach can be highly personalized. The language can be polished. The message can reference your actual industry and experience. The company being impersonated can be real. A supposed recruiter can have enough publicly available information to make the approach feel legitimate. That means some of the traditional warning signs—poor grammar, generic messages, unrealistic compensation or obvious requests for money—are no longer enough. Today, candidates need to verify the identity behind the message, not just the message itself. Go to the company's website independently. Examine the sender's email domain carefully. Confirm the recruiter through independent sources. Verify that the opportunity exists. If the company has a fraud-reporting channel, use it. And don't assume a communication is legitimate simply because the name, title, company or other details appear to check out online. For experienced and older workers navigating an already difficult job market, this adds another layer. After months of searching, receiving what appears to be legitimate recruiter interest is exactly the moment when someone may naturally want to believe the opportunity is real. AI may be making recruiting more efficient. Unfortunately, it can also make recruiting fraud more believable. Our due diligence has to evolve with it. #RecruitingFraud #ArtificialIntelligence #JobSearch #Recruiting #HumanResources #CyberAwareness