Researchers then reached out to a recruiter on the software platform GitHub, known for helping North Koreans land remote IT positions. Ballena Azul then interviewed and hired three suspected North Koreans, who claimed to reside in the US. (Credit: Any.Run)During the interview process, the suspected North Koreans also refrained from using AI deepfakes to change and mask their real appearance. To monitor the hired North Korean workers, the cybersecurity researchers gave them access to a virtual desktop tool as part of the job. (Credit: Any.Run)The monitoring showed the North Koreans were hiding their true whereabouts using the VPN service AstrillVPN.