A barely perceptible keystroke delay was the smoking gun that led to the uncovering of a malign imposter.

Tech Lead Digest is a publication dedicated to topics relevant to technical leaders, engineering managers, and software architects. Through articles, case studies, and interviews, Tech Lead Digest covers leadership strategies, team management techniques, and career development advice for tech leads. Readers can learn about effective communication, team-building, and leadership skills essential for success in technical leadership roles.

Tech Lead Digest

Amazon detected a North Korean infiltrator working as a contract system developer by monitoring keystroke input lag. The imposter's 110ms keystroke delay revealed they were remotely controlling a laptop located in Arizona from North Korea. Amazon has blocked over 1,800 DPRK infiltration attempts since April 2024, with attempts increasing 27% quarter-over-quarter. The company's Chief Security Officer emphasizes that active monitoring is essential, as these infiltrators would go undetected without proactive security measures. A woman facilitating this fraud was sentenced to prison earlier this year.

North Korean infiltrator caught working in Amazon IT department thanks to lag — 110ms keystroke input raises red flags over true location [Updated]

lol, hiring policies that lack any face to face time ftw!

I keep repeating this, on-prem is just making more and more sense. Not to say there’s zero chance of this happening but it would be a lot more difficult when you have to show up on-prem everyday.

Something out of a spy film pretty much.

kim couldnt even provide the people a better equipment so there wont be lag 🥀