Binance has announced that its advanced security systems are intercepting daily infiltration attempts by North Korean hackers posing as job applicants. This announcement was made in a public statement.
According to Decrypt, Binance’s chief security officer, Jimmy Su, revealed that the exchange discards suspicious resumes every day, which they believe are crafted by North Korean attackers. These attempts represent a persistent threat from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) Lazarus Group seeking infiltration into cryptocurrency firms. In some instances, impostors have been caught during video calls, prompting Binance to develop specialized interview tactics to expose deepfake manipulation.
Su explained that Binance and other crypto companies are combating sophisticated infiltration techniques employed by North Korean attackers. These include AI-driven deepfakes, voice changers, and fake identities used in video interviews. Impostors often exhibit signs such as sluggish internet connections and unnatural speech delays due to their deepfake and translation technologies. To counter this, Binance has implemented creative measures—such as asking applicants to place their hand over their face during an interview—to disrupt the video feed and expose manipulation.
As reported by Decrypt, Binance has faced challenges including deepfake video interviews and AI-generated identities used by malicious actors posing as global applicants. The company employs advanced vetting protocols like visual distortion tests and behavioral flags such as poor internet latency to expose impostors in real-time. Unlike many competitors lacking this layered verification process, Binance’s proactive approach provides a significant security advantage against state-sponsored espionage.
According to Wired and The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Binance is regulated in more jurisdictions than any other cryptocurrency exchange and has obtained approximately 21 licenses worldwide. In 2023, the company spent $213 million on compliance and announced plans to hire over 170 new compliance personnel. As noted by WSJ, CEO Richard Teng has positioned Binance as the most compliance-focused exchange globally, allowing it to manage high-level threats with more resilience than less-regulated competitors.