Imagine welcoming a new remote hire onto your team, only to discover later that they are not who they claim to be. At the CDO Magazine Global Cybersecurity Leadership Summit, leaders from The Kroger Co., ADM, OPENLANE, and others will expose how North Korean IT worker infiltration schemes have become one of the most insidious threats facing enterprises worldwide.

This breakout session, “Guess Who’s Coming to Work – Do You Know Who Your Employees Are?”, takes place October 9, 2025 at the Westin Cincinnati – Downtown, and promises to give attendees both strategic insight and practical tools to strengthen defenses.

Why this session matters

The digital workforce revolution has opened new opportunities — but it has also created unprecedented vulnerabilities. Through freelance platforms, staffing agencies, and vendor pipelines, North Korean operatives are masquerading as legitimate employees, embedding themselves deep inside enterprise ecosystems. Once in, they siphon data, drain resources, and channel proceeds back to the regime.

At this session, attendees will:

• Gain visibility into fraudulent hiring tactics, from spoofed identities to laptop farms.
• Learn about tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) that allow infiltrators to bypass safeguards.
• Discover how compromised identities are exploited to penetrate enterprise systems.
• Take home a customizable threat model, detection checklists, and red-flag indicators to apply immediately.

Networking meets knowledge

What sets this session apart is its blend of practical threat intelligence and cross-industry networking. Attendees will not only leave with a sharper security strategy but will also expand their professional peer network, building valuable connections with cybersecurity leaders from across industries.

Panelists include:

• Nicole Beckwith, The Kroger Co. Director, Enterprise Security Operations
• Leon Ravenna, OPENLANE CISO
• Thomas Dager, ADM VP, CISO (Summit Co-Chair)
• Matt Scheurer, VP, Computer Security & Incident Response, Financial Services Industry (Summit Co-Chair)

Expert insight

“This is more than just another cybersecurity talk — it’s a wake-up call for every enterprise leader. The risks are real, the tactics are evolving, and the only way to strengthen our defenses is through collective vigilance and shared knowledge,” says Michelle Ziegler, CDO Magazine Global VP of Partner Development and Events.

Don’t miss out

Seats for this session are limited, and interest is already high. Whether you’re a CISO, SOC leader, or data executive, this is where you’ll learn how to outpace one of the fastest-growing global threats — while forging the connections that will help protect your organization well into the future.