IT Employee Fired for Poor Performance Turns Out to Be North Korean Hacker, Blackmails Company with Stolen Data

The technician, thought to be a man, used the firm’s remote working tools to get into the corporate network, and proceeded to download company data. Representational image. (Credit: AFP)

An IT contractor fired for poor performance was exposed as a North Korean hacker, who later blackmailed the company with stolen data, demanding a six-figure ransom in cryptocurrency to keep the information private.

The firm, which was not named, hired the individual over the summer as a contractor after they faked their qualifications and employment history, as reported by the BBC.