01
The three fronts of modern hiring fraud
Public comments from assessment-platform leaders in 2026 describe a consistent triad: leaked questions, AI-assisted tools during tests (including named apps such as Cluely and Interviewman), and outright impersonation where someone else takes the assessment. HackerRank has described flagging about 30–35% of sessions with at least one suspicious behavior, with AI-powered cheating apps as a major driver. Ghost coding sits at the intersection-another person or tool produces the work while the enrolled candidate performs on camera.
- Leaked or shared assessment content
- Stealth AI apps and invisible overlays
- Proxy candidates and remote-desktop handoffs
- Wearables and second-device coaching
02
What “interview-as-a-service” looks like operationally
A candidate pays a network. A stronger engineer joins via remote desktop or coaching channel. The enrolled face stays on webcam. Screen share may look normal. Timing, input patterns, environment signals, and ownership probes are where the story breaks. Browser-only lockdown rarely sees the remote-control layer.
03
Why moving off “browser-only” assessments helps-but is not enough
Companies are shifting away from pure browser assessments toward AI-powered proctoring that watches webcam, audio, and screen activity. That raises the bar for casual cheaters. Determined networks still use second devices, earpieces, and overlays engineered to look clean. You need assistance-pattern detection plus human evidence review-not only a locked browser.