LinkedIn Getting Continually Hacked into User Accounts

According to Symantec, LinkedIn, which boasts of 400m-and-more users, is getting to be the latest online site which hackers are making use of for attacking potential victims.

A careful analysis by Symantec revealed fake accounts in dozens spanning various industries, including Oil & Gas and Information Security on the professional social networking site.

Pretending to be recruiters for jobs, the bogus A/Cs let hackers stalk business professionals' networks followed with acquiring the account users' trust. Once this trust is gained, the cyber-crooks quite easily lure the users into accessing malware-laced websites, surrendering personal information, as well as use their e-mail ids for executing spear-phishing scams referred to as personalized e-mails which try grabbing private details.

Symantec reports that people on LinkedIn know that recruiters may contact them; therefore, this trick proves as effective for the scammers. Bbc.com published this, December 3, 2015.

According to Dick O'Brien Researcher at Symantec, the majority of the bogus A/Cs on the LinkedIn successfully acquired a big network for e.g. one account gained 500 likes. A few as well succeeded in receiving others' endorsement, he explained. Bbc.com reported this.

The fake hacker A/Cs attempted at utilizing data that the criminals copied from other users' accounts and pasted it onto their own, with profile images too collected from websites providing stock images.

There are further a list of training qualifications and skills like "training for cargo securement," "exploration manager" and "reservoir engineer" on the profiles so their presence can be enhanced on the online search engine of LinkedIn.

Becoming aware of the news, LinkedIn issued a statement indicating the site investigated those thought to have violated its service's terms-and-conditions, in particular, posting profiles that didn't exist, followed with instantly adopting measures if violations were unearthed. Her.ie reported this, December 3, 2015.

The company further stated it had several measures for validating if profiles were authentic and eliminating those that weren't. Members were encouraged for using LinkedIn's Help Center for informing about improper profiles along with the actual profile content.

Other social networks (Facebook and Twitter) too have issues of bogus accounts; however, LinkedIn, according to Mr. O'Brien, appears as especially getting targeted.

» SPAMfighter News - 12/11/2015