Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Aug 02, 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
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
×