Ethereum Foundation Uncovers 100 North Korean Operatives in Web3 Organizations

The Ethereum Foundation funded a six-month project called ETH Rangers that has identified 100 North Korean IT workers operating under false identities inside Web3 organizations. The foundation disclosed the results on Thursday as part of a recap of its ETH Rangers program, launched in late 2024 to provide stipends for individuals conducting public goods security work within the ecosystem.

The Ketman Project, an initiative focused on investigating fraudulent developers embedded in crypto, with a particular emphasis on operatives linked to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), identified these workers. During the stipend period, the project alerted approximately 53 projects that may have unknowingly employed them.

The Ethereum Foundation said this work 'directly addresses one of the most pressing operational security threats facing the Ethereum ecosystem today.'