Since its launch in 2003, LinkedIn has been widely recognized as a leading platform, allowing people worldwide to network, post jobs, and apply for open vacancies. It stores valuable information about our work history as well as our contributions as volunteers or supporters of various social causes and initiatives.
Unfortunately, since August, there has been a drastic increase in the number of hijacked LinkedIn accounts. If you have been affected, you may be wondering what to do. Here are a few tips on how you can ensure the safety of your account.
Why Would Someone Hijack a LinkedIn Account?
The most common reason for hijacked LinkedIn accounts is that it allows cyber criminals to lock the accounts and demand ransom. The malicious actors could also blackmail users, threatening to send reputation-damaging messages from their accounts unless they provide payment.
Other reasons for hijacking LinkedIn accounts include social engineering attacks and the collection of sensitive data. Social engineering attacks most commonly come as phishing attempts when cyber criminals pose as trusted individuals or entities to get access to other people’s sensitive information, such as account names and passwords.
Unfortunately, it also occasionally happens that cyber criminals delete hijacked accounts right away, in which case the only option is to set up a new one. Once you do, make sure to follow the guidelines below to protect your new account from getting hacked in the future.
What Are the Warning Signs of a Hijacked Linkedin Account?
In the recent wave of hijacked LinkedIn accounts, the following pattern has surfaced. Cyber criminals add an extra email to LinkedIn accounts to block account owners. If you get a notification by email that another email has been added, take immediate action.
What Do I Do?
Log in, change your password to a strong, randomly generated one, and remove the new email address from your account details. Also, make sure to enable two-step verification. If you aren’t familiar with this cybersecurity tool, here’s a brief overview:
Two-step verification protects your account by requiring a user who tries to log in to supply two pieces of information. One of them is your password, and the other one comes from a completely different source. The most common one is a code sent to your phone. It could also be a push notification that pops up on the phone or your second device, asking you to authorize the login.
It goes without saying that no one should experience the stress of losing their connections and reputation in the blink of an eye. At BSC Solutions Group Ltd., we are here to protect your business from cyber threats. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our cybersecurity solutions.
