Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Sep 12, 2025

Fake LinkedIn profiles can be used to trick you into sharing secrets

Fake LinkedIn profiles can be used to trick you into sharing secrets

Hostile nation-state actors pose as recruiters or talent agents to gain trust and secrets

Fake LinkedIn profiles pose a risk to members who could be duped into sharing sensitive secrets on the popular Microsoft-owned professional networking platform, a BBC report says.

The UK’s MI5 security service said that over the past five years at least 10,000 UK nationals have been targeted by fake LinkedIn profiles connected to hostile nation-state actors, according to the BBC.

The report cited MI5 chief Ken McCallum, who said that this is happening on "an industrial scale."

The MI5 warned that LinkedIn users who had accepted connection requests from fake profiles may have been tricked into sharing secrets, the report said.


Typically, the fake profiles pose as recruiters or talent agents who will approach individuals with "enticing opportunities," according to the UK’s Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) which is running a "Think Before You Link" campaign.

"We’d be grateful if you’d agree to be our keynote speaker at our prestigious conference," according to a video on the Think Before You Link page, which depicts a typical pitch made by a fake profile.

The pitch continues. "We can offer you an attractive fee and all expenses will be paid. Just accept my request and connect and I’ll tell you more."

CPNI warns that by accepting the request you can become linked to malicious profiles run by hostile states or organized crime organizations and that you could possibly harm national security – depending on what your organization does and your role at the organization.

LinkedIn Logo


And a further risk is, you could unintentionally associate your organization, your manager, and your colleagues, CPNI said.

On its "Creating trusted connections" page, LinkedIn says it welcomes the efforts of the CPNI and it removes fake accounts based on intelligence "from a variety of sources, including government agencies."

"Humans continue to be a weak link in any cyber and data security strategy … good old-fashioned lying and social engineering continue to be effective as many people are driven by relationships and engagement," John Morgan, CEO at Confluera, told FOX Business in a statement.

Though the most typical example is an attacker impersonating a trusted third party, "I’ve seen cases where attackers impersonate fellow employees in the same company," Morgan said.

"The value of [LinkedIn] comes down to the quality of connections rather than their quantity," Oliver Tavakoli, CTO at Vectra, told FOX Business in a statement.

"So when a stranger approaches you via LinkedIn, you should consider it just as skeptically as an approach by a stranger on your phone or by email," Tavakoli said.

The CPNI says to report suspicious link requests to a cybersecurity manager and remove the profile so that your colleagues are no longer at risk.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
×