According to a recent report from Check Point Research, nearly half of all global phishing attacks involve impersonating LinkedIn, the business platform owned by Microsoft.
Scammers often exploit LinkedIn by targeting individuals seeking new job opportunities or career changes. While emails with subject lines like "You have 1 new invitation" or "Your profile has been viewed by 63 people" may appear legitimate, it's crucial to verify the sender's email address to confirm it's genuinely from LinkedIn. These cybercriminals craft emails that closely mimic authentic ones, directing recipients to fake LinkedIn pages designed to steal their information upon entry.
Another tactic used by cybercriminals involves creating fake LinkedIn profiles to message users about job opportunities. Once they've gained your interest, they might request a small upfront payment for processing your application—money you'll never see again—or send you a link to a form that is actually a phishing link in disguise.
LinkedIn is aware of these issues and is actively working on developing advanced security features to protect its users. Here are three security measures currently in place:
- Suspicious Message Warnings - LinkedIn's technology can identify messages from individuals trying to lure you away from the platform or those containing potentially inappropriate content, and it will send you a warning notification.
- Profile Verification - This feature enables you to confirm the authenticity of your page. By providing an additional form of identification, you can obtain a verification badge on your profile, ensuring that viewers recognize your legitimacy. This is particularly valuable given that scammers frequently seek new targets and their pages are often shut down quickly, making it uncommon for them to maintain up-to-date information.
- Profile Information - This feature enables you to view detailed information about a person's profile, assisting you in deciding whether to respond to a message, accept a connection request, trust an offer, and more. To access this information, go to your profile, click on "More," and select "About this profile" from the drop-down menu. This will display details such as:
- When the profile was created
- When the profile was last updated.
- Whether the member has verified a phone number.
- Whether the member has a work e-mail associated with their account.
- AI-Generated Profile Picture Detection - Scammers are exploiting AI to create lifelike profile pictures of nonexistent individuals, which they then use to set up fraudulent profiles aimed at deceiving users. Alarmingly, LinkedIn's research revealed that most users could not visually differentiate between genuine faces and these AI-generated images. Consequently, LinkedIn collaborated with academic institutions to develop and implement sophisticated detection tools. These tools enable LinkedIn to identify and remove AI-generated profile pictures, preventing potential scams before they can cause harm.
Are you leveraging LinkedIn to discover job opportunities, hire employees, or attract clients? While it's an excellent business resource, maintaining security is crucial. LinkedIn's features provide initial protection, but they are only the first layer of defense. If someone in your organization were to fall for a scam and click on a malicious link, would your internal security measures be robust enough to safeguard your network?
We can help you find out. We'll do a FREE consult to help you determine if your network is vulnerable to any type of attack. To book yours, call us at +44-28-7136-3363
