WageMole
Aliases: Famous Chollima, UNC5267, Wagemole, Nickel Tapestry, Storm-1877, Void Dokkaebi, WaterPlum, PurpleBravo
- Origin
- KP
- Primary motivation
- espionage
- Sophistication
- advanced
- Resource level
- government
- Actor type
- nation-state
- Last IoC activity
- 2026-07-21 02:31:07
- Profile updated
- 2026-07-07 12:19:01
Targeted industries: professional-services technology-and-telecommunications
Context
WageMole is a North Korean state-sponsored APT that employs social engineering and technology to secure remote job opportunities in Western countries, leveraging stolen personal data from the Contagious Interview campaign. Threat actors create fake identities, including passports and driver's licenses, and prepare study guides for interviews, often utilizing generative AI for well-structured responses. They target small to mid-sized businesses and utilize job platforms like Upwork and Indeed, while employing automation scripts for account creation. WageMole's activities include sharing code within their group and requesting payments through platforms like PayPal to conceal their identity.
Reports & references
- Palo Alto Unit 42 — Two Campaigns By North Korea Bad Actors Target Job Hunters (report)
- Palo Alto Unit 42 — Fake North Korean It Worker Activity Cluster (report)
- Trend Micro — Russian Infrastructure North Korean Cybercrime (report)
- jp.security.ntt — En Waterplum Ottercookie (report)
- zscaler.com — Pyongyang Your Payroll Rise North Korean Remote Workers West (report)
Attributed from
- Wagemole (campaign)