A recent report from Check Point Research revealed a shocking statistic: LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft, is impersonated in nearly half of all global phishing attacks. As a Mac-based business, it's crucial to be aware of these threats and ensure your cybersecurity measures are up to date.

How Scammers Use LinkedIn for Phishing

  1. Targeting Job Seekers: Scammers often prey on individuals looking for new job opportunities. Emails with subject lines like “You have 1 new invitation” or “Your profile has been viewed by 63 people” might seem legitimate. Always verify the email address it’s sent from to confirm it’s genuinely from LinkedIn. Impersonators create emails that mimic real ones, leading to fake LinkedIn pages that steal your information upon entry.
  2. Fake Job Offers: Cybercriminals create fake profiles to message people about job opportunities. Once engaged, they may ask for an upfront payment to process an application or send a phishing link disguised as a form.

LinkedIn is aware of these issues and is continuously developing advanced security features to protect its users. Here are three of the current security features it has deployed:

LinkedIn's Security Features

  1. Suspicious Message Warnings: LinkedIn’s technology detects messages attempting to take you off the platform or containing potentially inappropriate content and sends a warning notification.
  2. Profile Verification: This feature allows users to verify their profile’s authenticity by submitting an additional form of ID. Verified profiles display a badge, indicating to others that the profile is genuine.
  3. Profile Information Insights: You can view detailed information about a person’s profile to help determine whether to respond to a message, accept a connection request, or trust an offer. Under your profile, click “More” and select “About this profile” from the drop-down menu to see details like when the profile was created, last updated, and if the member has verified their phone number or associated a work email with their account.
  4. AI-Generated Profile Picture Detection: To combat scammers using AI to generate realistic but fake profile pictures, LinkedIn has partnered with Academia to develop and deploy advanced detection features. These features help identify and shut down profiles with AI-generated pictures before they cause problems.

Stay Secure While Using LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a fantastic resource for finding jobs, employees, or clients, but staying secure is vital. Even with LinkedIn’s security features, the first line of defense is your awareness and vigilance.

If someone in your organization falls for a scam and clicks a malicious link, would your internal security solutions be robust enough to protect your network? Ensuring your cybersecurity measures are comprehensive and up-to-date is essential.

Enhance Your Cybersecurity

For more tips on protecting your Mac and business from cyber threats, visit our blog and explore our cybersecurity solutions. We're dedicated to helping you maintain a secure digital environment.

By staying informed and implementing these practices, you can enjoy the benefits of LinkedIn while safeguarding your personal and professional information.

 

We can help you find out. We’ll do a FREE 16-minute Discovery call to help you determine if your network is vulnerable to any type of attack. To book yours, call us at763-331-6227 or click here to book a call.

 

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