On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti How the cybersecurity industry is responding to growing foreign threats
Dec 2, 2025
Tom Hagel, a distinguished threat researcher at SentinelOne, dives into the alarming rise of cyber threats from state-sponsored actors, particularly North Korea. He reveals how organizations have been duped by fake job applicants with forged identities, showcasing the clever tactics used by adversaries, including AI-generated resumes and persona networks. Hagel emphasizes the importance of sharing intelligence within the industry to combat these threats and discusses the evolving economy of ransomware. The conversation highlights the urgent need for collaboration and awareness to protect against these sophisticated attacks.
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Startup Hired Hidden North Korean Workers
- Zaki Mannion hired freelancers who claimed to be in Singapore and later learned they were North Korean operatives funneling pay to the regime.
- The FBI investigated but Mannion's company wasn't penalized, though reputational harm followed.
Use Specific Screening Tasks In Interviews
- Ask specific, culture-linked tasks during interviews to screen out coerced or fake applicants.
- Zaki Mannion recommends simple localized prompts that reliably reveal North Korean applicants.
North Korea Runs Strategic, Multi-Objective Campaigns
- Tom Hagel explains North Korea's cyber operations blend funding, espionage, and supply-chain intrusion into long-term missions.
- Compromising one firm to reach another enables strategic cryptocurrency theft and broader espionage.