From time to time you might notice a new friend request pop up on Facebook, or you might see a new follower on Instagram or Twitter, or someone who wants to connect with you on LinkedIn. Sometimes these are spam accounts used to send you advertisements for all kinds of junk, but recently it has been discovered that some fake LinkedIn profiles could be used to scout potential hacking targets.
According to a report by Dell SecureWorks, they discovered a host of fake LinkedIn profiles. Their report also notes that the profiles are grouped into developed personas and supporting personas, thus giving the illusion that these might be actual people on LinkedIn who might want to connect with you genuinely.
According to them, “The level of detail in the profiles suggests that the threat actors invested substantial time and effort into creating and maintaining these personas.” It is unclear as to what these hackers might want when they connect with their targets, but it seems like it could be nefarious given the amount of detail spent creating them.
Thankfully according to LinkedIn, those fake profiles have since been removed. However users should still remain vigilant and perhaps hold off on quickly accepting requests and follows from people that you don’t know.