Coinbase Imposes In-Person Orientation Amid Threat of North Korean IT Infiltrators

Coinbase is tightening its hiring and onboarding procedures after CEO Brian Armstrong disclosed that North Korean information-technology workers have tried to obtain jobs at the crypto exchange to gain access to sensitive systems. Under the new rules, every new employee must travel to the United States for in-person orientation, regardless of their location, and appear on camera during interviews to confirm identity. Staff who will handle confidential data must hold U.S. citizenship and submit to fingerprinting, Armstrong said in a podcast interview. The company, which has billed itself as “remote-first,” has also expanded domestic customer-support operations and further restricted internal data access after reports that some employees were offered six-figure bribes to leak information. Armstrong added that Coinbase is working with law-enforcement agencies as the FBI warns that North Korean IT contractors are increasingly targeting U.S. firms to generate revenue for Pyongyang.