Scammers target job seekers on the platform.
Whenever people are in need or seeking connections, there are always individuals looking to exploit them. While many of us are cautious about opening suspicious emails laced with malware, scammers have found a new, cunning way to target unsuspecting individuals: LinkedIn.
Reports from cybersecurity company eSentire reveal that hackers have been launching targeted phishing attacks on LinkedIn users. This form of phishing, known as “spear phishing,” involves customizing messages to deceive recipients into opening them, unlike the generic and error-ridden emails sent by spammers. This tactic poses a significant threat on a platform like LinkedIn, where the majority of users are actively seeking job opportunities, especially in the current economic climate marked by high unemployment rates.
According to the reports, hacker groups gather information from a user’s LinkedIn profile, including their name, work experience, and current job title, to craft a highly convincing fake job offer message. If the recipient opens this message, it installs an untraceable backdoor into their computer system, allowing the hacker to engage in various malicious activities like identity theft and online payment fraud.
The amount of scamming going on, on LinkedIn by people pretending to job posters is scary. I applied for a job only to find out after a weird interview experience that the company’s account had been hacked.
— Tater Swift (@SnackEvangelist) April 7, 2021
It can be challenging to recognize and avoid these fraudulent messages, especially when actively job hunting. The best defense is to stay alert; refrain from accepting unsolicited job offers without verifying the legitimacy of the sender, and if in doubt, reach out to LinkedIn’s Safety Center and share the suspicious message for examination. Job hunting is stressful enough without dealing with scammers adding to the burden by spreading malware.
