A group of Canadian law enforcement and government bodies advised businesses to be on the lookout for people affiliated with the North Korean government who hide their identities and apply for freelance IT jobs. The workers’ salaries may go to support Pyongyang’s weapons programs, the advisory warned, while the access they gain to companies can facilitate espionage and money laundering. (The Logic)

Talking point: Inadvertently hiring North Korean workers is a known problem in the crypto industry, where companies often employ remote, anonymous developers. The blockchain protocol Cosmos, which has a Toronto-based co-founder, has twice flagged contributions from developers who were later found to be linked to North Korea. The advisory says the problem is spreading across other sectors, warning employers that hiring North Korean-linked workers could result in prosecution for violating sanctions against the country.