The United States on Dec 12 offered a US$5 million reward for information about an alleged scheme in which North Korean technology workers got jobs at unsuspecting US companies then stole their trade secrets for ransom, with the proceeds used to fund Pyongyang's weapons programs.
The North Korea mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Operating from either China or Russia, the workers stole sensitive company information, including proprietary source computer code, and threatened to leak it unless the employer made an extortion payment, the government said.