Canada has issued an advisory warning companies against employing North Korean information technology (IT) workers, highlighting the risks of sanctions violations, data theft and inadvertently funding Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile development.

The press release by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Public Safety Canada and other federal agencies alerts Canadian businesses that hiring these workers could result in criminal charges under the United Nations Act and the Special Economic Measures Act.

The warning, released last Wednesday, does not mention any specific instances of North Korean IT professionals infiltrating Canadian companies, but comes amid growing concernworldwide about these technical workers