Investigating Nation-State Employment Fraud

Situation:
A major tech platform client and its legal counsel engaged Nisos to investigate two former employees who provided false documentation to obtain employment and had behaved suspiciously during their time at the company. The client was concerned with potential links to criminal or nation-state actors.

Why Nisos:
Nisos specializes in identifying and mitigating employment fraud risks through tailored intelligence and investigative strategies. Our experts analyzed background logs, email addresses, IP addresses, and social media accounts. We found falsified identity documents, copied resume language, suspiciously limited social media presence, and evidence that the application ID credentials and IP addresses had also been used by North Korean threat actors. Our investigators attributed two individuals who were likely associated and part of a DPRK effort to exploit remote work to fund its weapons programs and steal IP. Nisos helped the client reinforce their security posture against future exploitation, while our actionable intelligence supported law enforcement to pursue legal action against the threat actors.

Impact

Legal and Law Enforcement Action: The investigation resulted in actionable intelligence that supported law enforcement efforts to pursue legal action against the individuals involved.
Enhanced Security Response: By working alongside legal counsel and law enforcement, Nisos supported the client in reinforcing their security posture against future exploitation attempts.
Compliance: By terminating the fraudulent employees, Nisos helped the client to avoid sanctions and regulatory fines.

Providing Industry-Focused Threat Landscape Assessment

Snapshot:
Nisos’ comprehensive security assessment uncovered various emerging threats and vulnerabilities within the client’s industry to guide their security roadmap.

Disrupting Bot Developers

Snapshot:
Nisos’ digital investigation empowered our client to fortify their platform’s security, successfully removing a fraudulent application and preventing further malicious activities.

Unmasking Adversaries Leaking Trade Secrets

Snapshot:
Nisos quickly identified the source of a data breach, enabling our client to address the security threat swiftly.