"Dozen of Laptops in Living Room": Another North Korean "Laptop Farm" for Identity Fraud Busted

Another "laptop farm," serving as a remote base for North Korean IT workers who fraudulently secured jobs at U.S. companies, has been busted.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas announced on the 13th (local time) that they dismantled an illegal network of North Korean IT workers through a statewide joint operation named "Operation Lone Star Roundup."

Through this operation, authorities searched about 40 residences and seized 187 items, including laptops, keyboards, video equipment, and mice, which were abused by North Korean workers to stealthily infiltrate U.S. companies.

Joseph Rothrock, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Dallas Field Office, pointed out that "Operation Lone Star Roundup was conducted to disrupt malicious cyber activities carried out by the North Korean government to support weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missiles, intelligence programs, and nuclear programs, and each seized laptop represents a company that hired North Korean IT personnel."

It was revealed that the North Korean workers secured jobs by disguising themselves as working remotely from within the United States, using stolen or forged U.S. identification and virtual private networks (VPNs) capable of manipulating internet connection locations.

U.S.-based accomplices who aided North Korea received remote work laptops shipped by victimized companies at their homes, set them up, and installed remote access software, creating "laptop farms" that allowed North Korean hackers and workers to access them freely.

They also played the role of receiving salaries and remitting them to accounts controlled by the North Korean regime.

U.S. cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike has named the group of North Korean IT operatives committing such crimes and the factions assisting them "Famous Chollima."

Federal Prosecutor Ryan Raybold pointed out that "this investigation goes far beyond a simple fraud case" and that "we will not sit idly by as America's adversaries exploit our businesses or threaten our national security."

Prosecutor Raybold warned of legal actions against U.S.-based accomplices who aided North Korea, stating, "It is absurd to have dozens of laptops sitting in your living room and claim to the government that you 'didn't know what was going on.'"

The investigative authorities disclosed 11 email accounts used in the crimes and appealed for public tips.

This is not the first time such laptop farms, abused as a means for North Korea to earn foreign currency, have been uncovered.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced in June of last year that it had uncovered 29 laptop farms across 16 U.S. states, and a woman from Arizona was sentenced to 8 years and 6 months in prison by a court after being found guilty of aiding North Korea through a laptop farm uncovered in 2023.

Texas local broadcaster FOX 4 reported, citing Treasury Department estimates, that the revenue earned by North Korean IT workers through this method reached approximately 800 million dollars in 2024 alone, which translates to about 1.08 trillion won in Korean currency.

(Photo: Provided by U.S. Department of Justice, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.