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How not to hire a North Korean plant posing as a techie

theregister.com

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Re: How not to hire a North Korean plant posing as a techie

#81

Post by ClumsyPilot »

ricardobayes wrote: post #69
Run_DOS_Run wrote: post #66

>Evading in-person meetings or requests for drug tests. I am surprised about the request for drug tests. Is this common in the US? Except for high-security jobs, which are never possible remotely anyway, I have never heard of a client or employer asking for a drug test. If I got a request for a drug test, I would quit immediately. Even if I am sure it is negative, my private life is my business. Any attempt to contro…

Companies have weird requests sometimes. A good decade ago or more, I was asked to sign a disclosure that I was not a member of a certain faith (that has/had anti-tech sentiment at the time). That would definitely not happen these days.

> I was asked to sign a disclosure that I was not a member of a certain faith (that has/had anti-tech sentiment at the time)

Ye that sounds both illegal and pointless.

Re: How not to hire a North Korean plant posing as a techie

#82

Post by ClumsyPilot »

vkou wrote: post #76
AnimalMuppet wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

High security jobs. Jobs in finance. Anything involving driving or operating machinery. Maybe customer-facing jobs. Basically anywhere where, if you're stoned, you could cause damage to the company.

> Basically anywhere where, if you're stoned, you could cause damage to the company . Does the C-suite also get regular, supervised piss-in-a-cup tests, or do they actually not have as much impact on the success of the firm as they claim to?

And do they get paid off for drinking at work? Masters of having it both ways

Re: How not to hire a North Korean plant posing as a techie

#83

Post by incahoots »

throw747488 wrote: post #61
mariojv wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Out of curiosity, how would a North Korean who escaped to the West even get money to relatives still there?

NK I knew had regular flights into EU, but that was 10 years ago. Today there is most likely trade with China (I am not familiar with that). I would go through Russia, there is direct border and regular trade. NK building companies operate in captured parts of Ukraine for example. Or just use bitcoin. NKs do have access to internet, it is good store of value (better than diamonds) and highly liquid asset!

>NK building companies operate in captured parts of Ukraine for example

Can you provide a source for this? Google results provide only articles that suggest the claim, no real confirmations.

Re: How not to hire a North Korean plant posing as a techie

#84

Post by stronglikedan »

Run_DOS_Run wrote: post #66

>Evading in-person meetings or requests for drug tests. I am surprised about the request for drug tests. Is this common in the US? Except for high-security jobs, which are never possible remotely anyway, I have never heard of a client or employer asking for a drug test. If I got a request for a drug test, I would quit immediately. Even if I am sure it is negative, my private life is my business. Any attempt to contro…

My company drug tests everyone they hire, regardless of the position. They say it's for a discount on employment insurance, but I have not verified that. They only test once, on the start date. They'll only ever test again if you fuck up on the job and hurt someone, or yourself.

Re: How not to hire a North Korean plant posing as a techie

#86

Post by ClumsyPilot »

Run_DOS_Run wrote: post #66

>Evading in-person meetings or requests for drug tests. I am surprised about the request for drug tests. Is this common in the US? Except for high-security jobs, which are never possible remotely anyway, I have never heard of a client or employer asking for a drug test. If I got a request for a drug test, I would quit immediately. Even if I am sure it is negative, my private life is my business. Any attempt to contro…

Seems like drug tests are just a strange tool of humiliation

Re: How not to hire a North Korean plant posing as a techie

#87

Post by incahoots »

Modified3019 wrote: post #75
Run_DOS_Run wrote: post #66

>Evading in-person meetings or requests for drug tests. I am surprised about the request for drug tests. Is this common in the US? Except for high-security jobs, which are never possible remotely anyway, I have never heard of a client or employer asking for a drug test. If I got a request for a drug test, I would quit immediately. Even if I am sure it is negative, my private life is my business. Any attempt to contro…

In the US it’s fairly common policy to have when the employee could present a liability issue, such as driving a company provided vehicle, or operating heavy/dangerous equipment. Drug tests are a “cover our ass” measure and also make getting rid of “that fucking guy” easier. In practice it varies heavily on how it’s implemented, generally a company isn’t really keen to spend the money and time on that shit until afte…

>also make getting rid of “that fucking guy” easier.

Very much so. An ex-coworker worked for a cardboard factory, attempted to unionize the workforce by providing lunches to workers during talk shops. He was taking liquid cannabis, had a doctors permission, script to get his medical card, only dosed enough for his aliment, and HR was aware.

Management had him take a urine analysis, supposedly workforce wide, of course failed due to the cannabis use, fired him the same day.

Never missed a day he scheduled, good guy.

Working for the city we do routine tests, especially CDL drivers, but from what I understand, they don't look for positive tests for cannabis, so I'm unsure if we're seeing a shift due to the legalization across nearly half the US, or they're specifically looking for opioids.

Just figured I'd share a perspective.

Re: How not to hire a North Korean plant posing as a techie

#88

Post by MerelyMortal »

incahoots wrote: post #87
Modified3019 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US it’s fairly common policy to have when the employee could present a liability issue, such as driving a company provided vehicle, or operating heavy/dangerous equipment. Drug tests are a “cover our ass” measure and also make getting rid of “that fucking guy” easier. In practice it varies heavily on how it’s implemented, generally a company isn’t really keen to spend the money and time on that shit until afte…

>also make getting rid of “that fucking guy” easier. Very much so. An ex-coworker worked for a cardboard factory, attempted to unionize the workforce by providing lunches to workers during talk shops. He was taking liquid cannabis, had a doctors permission, script to get his medical card, only dosed enough for his aliment, and HR was aware. Management had him take a urine analysis, supposedly workforce wide, of cours…

Not a lawyer, but seems like a slam dunk medical discrimination case.

Re: How not to hire a North Korean plant posing as a techie

#89

Post by alephnerd »

eunos wrote: post #60
mariojv wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Out of curiosity, how would a North Korean who escaped to the West even get money to relatives still there?

Maybe some network in CN, HK, Macau or even TW!

Vietnam is a major location.

You'll find a number of NK operated companies and restaurants in Saigon and Hanoi to help bring in foreign currency.

Also, Vietnam has one of the largest Korean diasporas outside of Korea, as South Korean companies moved all their operations in China to Vietnam in 2013-17 after the THAAD fiasco.

Just about every single product and conglomerate in Vietnam is Korean (specifically Lotte Holdings). Walk down the street and you'd find 3 Lotte Marts. Then go grab lunch at the Lotteria next door. Then call a Grab and ride in a Hyundai back to your apartment in D2 built by Lotte while the driver is playing KPop produced by Lotte Cultureworks, and then watch some KDramas or Vietnamese shows at home produced by Lotte Cultureworks and maybe chill out while drinking some Chum-Churum Soju. Then, next morning, drink some Chillsung Cider to fight the hangover and go to your company, who will end up exporting products back to Korea via Lotte Global Logistics with financing from Lotte Capital. When you end up getting vacation, you'll end up flying to Seoul and maybe take your family to Lotte Hotel World.

Re: How not to hire a North Korean plant posing as a techie

#90

Post by ClumsyPilot »

This reads like blatant fear mongering

> infiltrate organizations they work for to steal secrets

Do you worry about this as a random company? You are gonna steal source code for 4 out of 12 micro services required to run some random online shopping website, or a video game? what is North Korean gov. Going to do with it?

And if you give random people access to customer data, then it’s already being sold on the dark web.

> suspicious behavior such as working odd hours and inconsistencies in name spellings

every autistic or dyslexic or socially disfynctional techy is a spy now?

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