North Korean Developer Gained Access to Consensys Systems Without Company's Knowledge
A developer with connections to North Korea was hired by the blockchain firm after being recommended by a "reputable third-party service provider," later uncovered during a security investigation.
A software developer with connections to North Korea inadvertently gained access to certain systems at blockchain firm Consensys, maintaining that access for approximately one month.
According to initial reporting from Drop Site on Friday, Consensys onboarded a software developer earlier this year operating under the pseudonym Tyler Knapp, who was subsequently found to have connections to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or North Korea. This discovery prompted the organization to halt product releases on a temporary basis and initiate a thorough investigation into the security breach.
"'Knapp' was introduced to us through an existing relationship with a reputable third-party service provider and collaborated with Consensys as a consultant," Consensys general counsel Matt Corva stold Cointelegraph. "He was never hired as a Consensys employee. Very quickly after being introduced, we discovered the threat, followed our security protocols, immediately terminated any access and launched a comprehensive investigation that confirmed there was no misappropriation of assets or data, no malicious code deployed, and no impact to user safety and security."
This incident represents another recent example of North Korean hacking groups targeting cryptocurrency and digital asset firms by transmitting fraudulent employment opportunities to developers and submitting applications for positions that would grant them access to proprietary code. According to Corva, Consensys plans to reassess and strengthen its procedures for contracting external engineering and development services.