CyberNew CyberNew
Cyber News The Record 3 days ago

Two arrested as DOJ takes down laptop farms responsible for $3 million in North Korean revenue

CN
CyberNew Threat Research Desk
• Original Reporting: The Record
CyberNew Threat Intel Assessment
Assessed Severity: INFORMATIONAL
Impacted Surface
Enterprise Perimeter & Network Defense
Intelligence Sector
Cyber News

Analyst Takeaway

"Image: Lala Azizli via Unsplash Two arrested as DOJ takes down laptop farms responsible for $3 million in North Korean revenue The Department of Justice disrupted multiple laptop farms across Texas allegedly being used by North Korean nationals to facilitate an IT worker scheme that allows the country to earn millions from U.S. companies. The laptop farm raids, which were conducted September..."

Recommended Defense & Mitigation

  • Threat Monitoring: Ingest published IOCs into SIEM/EDR detection rules for continuous telemetry monitoring.
  • Security Awareness: Alert staff and maintain baseline endpoint hardening across endpoints.
Curated & Verified by CyberNew Threat Intelligence Desk Standard Defense Framework (NIST / MITRE ATT&CK)
remote work on laptop
Image: Lala Azizli via Unsplash

Two arrested as DOJ takes down laptop farms responsible for $3 million in North Korean revenue

The Department of Justice disrupted multiple laptop farms across Texas allegedly being used by North Korean nationals to facilitate an IT worker scheme that allows the country to earn millions from U.S. companies. 

The laptop farm raids, which were conducted September 21-25, targeted more than 40 residences, the DOJ said.

Law enforcement seized 187 laptops and other devices used by North Koreans. Such schemes have earned millions over the last eight years by tricking U.S. companies into hiring workers remotely into lucrative IT roles through stolen or purchased identities. 

Alongside the raids, the DOJ indicted and arrested U.S. nationals Michael James Bostelle of Pennsylvania and Juan Cecilio Pena Carrillo of Texas. Several Chinese and North Korean nationals also were indicted. The department did not respond to requests for comment about whether the indictments and arrests were linked to the Texas laptop farm raids.

The DOJ indicted Bostelle and Pena on wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft charges, accusing them of being key U.S.-based cogs in the IT worker scheme. 

Source Verification & Original Intelligence

This threat report was reviewed by CyberNew analysts and cross-referenced with primary security disclosures from The Record.

Primary Advisory →