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content: add tiered verification, liveness checks, and onboarding/offboarding
Adds workforce security content from Andrew Chang-Gu (CISSP) presentation: - 3-level identity verification framework (pseudonymous → verified → privileged) - Anti-deepfake liveness techniques for video interviews - Hardened onboarding sequence (identity → environment → scoped access) - Instant offboarding procedure (IdP → sessions → secrets → hardware → audit)
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docs/pages/dprk-it-workers/mitigating-dprk-it-workers.mdx

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users: [blackbigswan]
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- role: reviewed
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users: [yaniv, dickson]
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- role: contributed
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users: [andrew-chang-gu]
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---
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import { TagList, AttributionList, TagProvider, TagFilter, ContributeFooter } from '../../../components'
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6. Regardless of our tips of not focusing on "Asian man in his 20-30s" that particular appearance is still the most
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common (If not cloaked under the generative AI). Similarly, Korean-English accents.
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### Tiered Identity Verification
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Verification depth should scale with the sensitivity of the role being filled.
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**Level 1 — Pseudonymous Contributor** *(OSS contributors, community moderators, bounty hunters)*
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- On-chain wallet history demonstrating consistent, legitimate activity over time
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- Persistent pseudonymous identity with verifiable history (GitHub commits, forum participation)
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- Liveness check (see below)
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- **Scoped access only** — never admin rights, treasury access, or production systems
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**Level 2 — Verified Worker** *(Engineers, operations staff, administrative roles)*
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- Government-issued photo ID verification
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- Background check through a reputable provider, with verified jurisdiction
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- Reference checks with direct contact verification (don't rely on references you can't independently validate)
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- Video interview with active liveness verification (see below)
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**Level 3 — Privileged Operator** *(Treasury signers, cloud root access, security leadership)*
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- **In-person verification mandatory** — final-round interviews conducted on-site or at a trusted venue
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- Hardware wallet issuance and setup conducted in-person or via verified secure delivery
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- Dual-authorization requirements for all privileged actions
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- Periodic re-verification, especially after extended remote-only periods
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### Defeating Deepfakes: Liveness Verification
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Video interviews are now a primary vector for DPRK operative infiltration. Pre-recorded deepfake video can fool a casual interviewer, particularly when audio "technical difficulties" are used as cover. Standard video calls are not sufficient for identity verification at Levels 2 and 3.
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Incorporate unpredictable, interactive requests into video calls:
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- Ask the candidate to turn their head sideways and hold the position
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- Have them read a randomly generated phrase displayed on screen for the first time during the call
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- Request a hand movement across the face mid-stream
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- Ask them to screen-share and perform a live technical task requiring real-time interaction with their environment
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The goal is to introduce enough unpredictable real-time interaction that a pre-rendered deepfake cannot keep up.
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> ⚠️ Any candidate who persistently, escalatingly avoids in-person interaction — even for high-value roles — warrants a security review. This is a documented indicator of DPRK IT worker activity.
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### Hardened Onboarding
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The sequence in which access is provisioned matters:
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1. **Identity first.** Provision the IdP account with phishing-resistant MFA before any other access.
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2. **Environment setup.** Issue the managed device, provision VDI access, or configure enterprise browser policies before any production system access.
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3. **Scoped access.** Apply least-privilege from day one. Don't grant broad "we'll scope it later" permissions.
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4. **Secrets hygiene briefing.** Ensure the new team member understands secrets management practices.
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### Instant Offboarding
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1. **Disable the IdP account first** — this cascades across all connected SSO applications immediately.
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2. **Kill active sessions** — force session revocation in all applications.
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3. **Rotate all shared secrets** — any API keys, shared passwords, or access tokens the departing person had access to.
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4. **Recover hardware** — retrieve issued devices and remotely wipe.
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5. **Audit access** — review the access log for the 30-day period prior to offboarding for anomalous activity.
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> ⚠️ The period between a decision to terminate and actual offboarding is the highest-risk window for insider data exfiltration. For sensitive roles, access revocation should happen simultaneously with or before any notification.
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## Hardening your organization
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1. Define and implement tight access control rules for all of your employees, especially remote ones. Avoid giving

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