Dive Brief:
- Dell SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit identified a network of fake LinkedIn profiles used in a targeted social engineering campaign, CIO reported.
- The 25 fake profiles were linked to 204 legitimate profiles of people working in the defense, telecommunications, government and utility sectors.
- It’s believed the fake network was created to help cyber attackers target victims.
Dive Insight:
Experts say the group likely relied on the fact that people tend to trust people within their personal network and would be more likely to fall for a spear phishing email from them after connecting with them on LinkedIn.
The network included eight leader profiles along with a supporting network to make the network seem legitimate. The profiles claimed to belong to employees at companies at major organizations. Dell SecureWorks was able to identify the profiles as fake.
Researchers said the fake LinkedIn profiles "significantly increase" the likelihood of these social engineering attacks paying off.
"The level of detail in the profiles suggests that the threat actors invested substantial time and effort into creating and maintaining these personas," the researchers said.
The fake profiles have since been removed from LinkedIn.
Dell SecureWorks said people should be careful when accepting LinkedIn invitations from unknown individuals and should first try to verify the person is legitimate before connecting with them. CIOs should also warn others in their respective companies to use caution when accepting invitations to connect with unknown persons.
