Canadian authorities warned that North Korean state-affiliated IT workers pose as legitimate freelancers to obtain remote roles in software development, IT support, animation, databases, online platforms, hardware, and firmware. The advisory says these workers hide their identities with VPNs, VPSs, VoIP, encrypted messaging, AI-enabled deepfakes, and third-country proxies using personal information or employment-platform accounts. The activity can expose employers to sanctions violations, data theft, corporate espionage, and malicious code or backdoors inserted through privileged access to corporate systems. Small businesses and start-ups are highlighted as attractive targets because they may need inexpensive technical labor and have fewer resources for candidate screening.