With over 930 million global users, LinkedIn is becoming an increasingly popular platform for scammers targeting both individuals and business entities. Organizations of all sizes are susceptible to these scams, with multiple deceptive tactics in play targeting the platforms diverse user base and ultimately the companies in which they are employed.
Why it matters: Understanding the risks associated with open social networks is crucial for ensuring the cybersecurity of an organization and its employees. As LinkedIn is a popular platform for professional networking and business interactions, technology leaders need to educate their employees about the types of scams that exist and provide guidance on how to identify and avoid them.
- Scammers are leveraging the platform’s professional nature to create convincing scams like fake job offers, phishing attempts, and impersonation.
- The research findings indicate that small businesses are most vulnerable to cyberattacks, experiencing financial loss, reputation damage, and employee attrition. Medium-sized enterprises often face reputation damage, data theft, and infrastructure damage. Large organizations are prone to reputation damage, compromised data, and financial loss.
- To avoid falling victim to LinkedIn scams, users should exercise caution, conduct thorough research before engaging with job offers or business opportunities, adjust privacy settings, be wary of unsolicited messages, and learn to recognize fake LinkedIn profiles.
