Coinbase Reinvents Hiring to Fend Off North Korean Hackers
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Quick Highlights
- Coinbase ends remote onboarding after hacker infiltration attempts
- New hires must complete U.S. in-person orientation and fingerprinting
- FBI confirms fake interviews, bribes, and deepfakes linked to DPRK
New Rules, Real Risks: Why Coinbase Is No Longer Remote-First
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong recently confirmed that the company has revised its hiring policy, ending remote onboarding and adding new security protocols. The move follows multiple infiltration attempts by North Korean IT workers trying to access the exchange's critical systems.
“It feels like they have 500 new people graduating from some school every quarter, and that’s their only job,” Armstrong told Stripe co-founder John Collison on the Cheeky Pint podcast.
Now, all new hires must complete an in-person orientation in the U.S. Those who require access to sensitive infrastructure must be U.S. citizens and undergo fingerprinting.
The stricter measures aim to block deepfake interviews, fake identities, and bribery attempts—all of which have reportedly been used to gain insider access at crypto firms.
FBI Warnings, Real Arrests & $900K Heists: The Bigger Picture
The FBI has repeatedly warned that North Korean operatives are posing as freelance developers and engineers to infiltrate U.S. companies, including those in the crypto space. In July, the agency revealed that these actors were working with both knowing and unknowing Americans, using fake businesses, company laptops, and even attending online interviews on behalf of others.
In one high-profile case, a District of Columbia court sentenced an American woman to 8.5 years in prison for helping North Korean nationals secure tech jobs under fake identities.
Meanwhile, Armstrong disclosed a separate but growing problem: bribery.
“The attackers offered hundreds of thousands of dollars to our support agents to photograph sensitive information,” he said.“When we catch people, we don’t just walk them out the door — they go to jail.”
This crackdown has also led to Coinbase expanding domestically, including the launch of a new customer service hub in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Deepfakes, Coaching & Coercion: How Hackers Game the System
To combat AI-powered fraud and impersonation, Coinbase now requires all interviewees to keep cameras on during calls. The goal? To detect if a candidate is being coached, assisted offscreen, or even replaced by a deepfake or AI bot.
“It’s not worth going to prison,” Armstrong warns, emphasizing that even high bribes aren’t worth the risk.
The company has become hyper-aware of these tactics after hackers reportedly used scripted coaching and real-time assistance during interviews to fool HR teams.
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