North Korean IT Scheme: How One Woman’s ‘Laptop Farm’ Led to a $17 Million Fiasco
Christina Marie Chapman was sentenced to 102 months in prison for her role in a scheme allowing North Korean IT workers to infiltrate 309 U.S. companies. Her “laptop farm” hosted computers at her home, tricking firms into believing the workers were U.S.-based. This caper raked in over $17 million.
Hot Take:
Who knew that Arizona could be the unlikely hotspot for a North Korean IT boom? Christina Marie Chapman certainly didn’t think her home would become the ultimate hotspot for a “laptop farm” – a term that sounds more like a techie’s dream than a cybersecurity nightmare. But here we are, with North Korean workers harvesting gigs like a virtual IT crop, all under the watchful eye of the DOJ scarecrows. Let’s just hope the only thing getting hacked around here is the price of avocados.
Key Points:
- Christina Marie Chapman sentenced to 102 months for aiding North Korean IT infiltration.
- Scheme involved 309 U.S. companies and generated $17 million in revenue.
- Chapman managed a “laptop farm” in her home to mask workers’ true locations.
- DOJ and OFAC are cracking down on North Korean IT worker schemes.
- The plot was part of a broader network, including foreign nationals and a Ukrainian accomplice.