We all know about the attacker who leverages their technical expertise to infiltrate protected computer systems and compromise sensitive data. This type of malicious actor ends up in the news all the time. But they’re not the only ones making headlines. So too are “social engineers,” individuals who use phone calls and other media to exploit human psychology and trick people into handing over access to the organization’s sensitive information.
The nature of LinkedIn’s professional environment facilitates communication among individuals from various backgrounds across industries. However, threat actors have been known to exploit the business networking platform for malicious aims, including intelligence gathering, identity theft and spear phishing. A number of fake profiles identified on the site have been observed targeting individuals in diverse sectors, particularly those with roles in government, cyber security and education.
