A "Dream Interview": How to Make Your Wallet Zeroed Out?

Imagine you’re a skilled Web3 developer. One day, suddenly someone contacts you on LinkedIn (it looks like) from a big company, offering a “dream job” you can’t refuse.

They are enthusiastic and quickly send you a zip file, claiming it’s a “coding library for the interview.” Without much thought, you skillfully run the npm install command, ready to showcase your talents.

The moment you press Enter, you are “infected.”

Your login credentials, browser data, and even the private keys of your crypto wallet are quietly being packaged and sent to an unknown server. The job is lost, and instead, you become a “cash machine” for someone else (and a nation-state hacker).

This is not a movie; it’s happening right now.

This attack is called “Contagious Interview.” A recent report from a security firm reveals that over 300 malicious packages have been uploaded to the npm platform—which is the “cornerstone of the modern internet.”

And the mastermind behind it? Directly pointing to North Korea.

Everyone might be thinking: Why is it them again? How does this country, often heavily sanctioned and blocked, produce such a top-tier global hacking team?

The “Infected Lego”: How severe is this attack?

To understand how serious this is, you first need to know what npm is.

Simply put, it’s like a huge “digital Lego brick library.” Programmers worldwide prefer not to reinvent the wheel from scratch; they usually go to npm to find ready-made “building blocks” (code packages) to assemble.

“Contagious Interview” involves the dirty work of poisoning the raw materials in this “Lego factory.”

Attackers disguised themselves as popular tools like express and dotenv, uploading over 300 malicious packages. Developers, especially those working in Web3 and crypto, tempted by the “interview,” use these “poisoned bricks,” and malware immediately activates, stealing everything.

What’s the most terrifying part?

These “poisoned bricks” can be used in countless apps and projects, causing the “toxicity” to spread invisibly. GitHub (npm’s parent company) is desperately trying to delete them, but researchers say it’s like “whack-a-mole”—remove one batch, and another pops up. They can’t keep up.

This attack is precise, patient, and highly deceptive. And it’s this “patience” that makes North Korean hackers so terrifying.

Unveiling: Why are North Korean hackers so “invincible”?

While other hackers are busy showing off skills, gathering intelligence, or making quick money, North Korean hackers have a very pure goal: making money. And it’s for the country.

They are not just “hackers”; they are “cyber soldiers” and “financial bandits” working for national revenue. Their “invincibility” fundamentally stems from three core reasons:

1. Extreme motivation: This is “state business,” earning funds for nuclear weapons

This is key to understanding them.

Because of long-term strict sanctions, North Korea has almost no foreign exchange income. To sustain operations, especially for nuclear and missile projects, cyberspace has become their perfect revenue source.

According to UN reports, North Korean hackers have stolen assets worth over $3 billion through cyberattacks in recent years. Yes, $3 billion.

One report even states that these illegal earnings support about 40% of their “big weapon” projects.

Think about it: when a hacker’s KPI is to “earn missile funds” for the country, their motivation, discipline, and combat effectiveness are on a different level from lone wolves.

2. Rigorous selection: a “national genius program”

North Korean hackers are not self-taught “internet cafe kids.” They are “genius weapons” cultivated under state will.

This selection process begins in childhood. They identify the most mathematically and computer-talented “genius youths” nationwide and send them to top universities like Pyongyang University of Science and Technology.

There, they undergo years of intense, militarized elite education.

After graduation, the top talents are sent to a formidable agency—the Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB). Under RGB, there are renowned elite units like the “Lazarus Group” and “Bureau 121.” They have thousands of full-time “cyber soldiers,” each a national treasure.

3. Astonishing tactics: patience, psychological insight, quick learning

This “Contagious Interview” vividly demonstrates their tactical traits.

First, extreme patience. They can spend months creating a perfect LinkedIn recruiting account, chatting, building trust, and waiting for the final “strike.”

Second, mastery of psychology (social engineering). They exploit developers’ desire for a good job. Think about it—by this stage, who would carefully scrutinize the code packages sent by the “interviewer”? They leverage your psychological laxity.

Finally, rapid iteration. They are among the earliest hackers to shift targets from traditional banks (like the 2016 Bangladesh Bank heist) to cryptocurrencies (like the 2022 Axie Infinity theft of $625 million). They are deeply familiar with Web3, DeFi, and cross-chain bridges.

When “open source” becomes a “weapon”: what should we do?

The “Contagious Interview” is a wake-up call for everyone.

It exploits the greatest advantage of the open-source ecosystem—openness. Originally, anyone could upload code to promote innovation, but now it has become the perfect breeding ground for attackers to spread “viruses.”

Even if you’re not a programmer, you can’t escape. Think about it—every app you use daily is built from this code. Upstream “contamination,” downstream no one is immune.

For developers and companies, the alarm bells are ringing loud. From now on, every npm install command must be handled with the caution of defusing a bomb—treat it as a potential “high-risk operation.”

This “whack-a-mole” game will clearly continue. As long as North Korea’s “state business” model remains unchanged, their “financial hunting” in crypto and Web3 will never stop. **$LAYER **