North Korean Hackers Scam IT Job Seekers, Steal Rs 100 Crore Globally
North Korean hacker group WaterPlum, also known as Contagious Interview, scammed thousands of IT job seekers across over 100 countries from December 2025 to July 2026, stealing approximately Rs 100 crore. They posed as recruiters from AI and cryptocurrency firms, luring candidates to download malicious files during fake interviews and coding tasks. The group accessed sensitive data and cryptocurrency wallets, transferring about 1.7 billion Japanese yen to North Korea. Authorities from Japan, the US, Australia, and Germany issued a joint advisory on the campaign, which has been active since 2023 and involved both financial theft and cyberespionage.
First-hand measurement across 2 sources
We measured how 2 outlets covered this story. No outlet gave this story a measurable political slant — there is no left–right reading to report. Overall sentiment is negative (33/100). Lens Score 55/100.
Outlets measured: timesnow, indiatoday. See how each one headlined and framed the same story in the source comparison below.
AI Analysis
Sentiment was consistent across outlets (28–38/100), indicating broadly factual reporting rather than editorialising.
Coverage timeline
indiatoday broke this story on 21 Sept, 08:20 am. Other outlets followed.
- 1