Amazon Blocks 1,800 North Koreans Hired Through Secret 'Laptop Farms'

Amazon has stopped more than 1,800 North Korean IT workers from joining the company. The tech giant says these individuals were part of a secret scheme by Pyongyang to earn foreign money. In a LinkedIn post, Amazon's Chief Security Officer Stephen Schmidt warned that North Korean workers are seeking remote tech jobs globally. Their main target is the United States. Schmidt reported a nearly 30% increase in such job applications over the past year. These workers often hide their true location using "laptop farms." This term refers to networks of computers in other countries that hide a user's real internet address. The goal of the operation is to generate income for the North Korean regime. Experts say the workers also launder the money they earn. This activity helps fund the country's banned weapons programs. U.S. authorities have issued alerts about this threat. They advise companies to strengthen their hiring checks for remote IT workers.