Spotting and Unmasking Fake LinkedIn Profiles to Avoid the Hidden Risks and Thwart LinkedIn Scams | A Conversation with Kris Rides | Redefining CyberSecurity with Sean Martin

Guest: Kris Rides, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Tiro Security [@tirosecurity]

On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/krisrides/

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Host: Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine [@ITSPmagazine] and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast [@RedefiningCyber]

On ITSPmagazine | https://www.itspmagazine.com/sean-martin

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Episode Notes

In this episode of the Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast, host Sean Martin speaks with Kris Rides, founder of Tiro Security. They discuss the fascinating and somewhat unsettling topic of fake LinkedIn profiles, an issue that has become increasingly prevalent. Kris Rides, with years of experience in cybersecurity staffing and professional services, shares insights from a recent LinkedIn post that garnered significant engagement.

The discussion kicks off with Sean Martin recounting how Kris's post about a suspicious LinkedIn account with 28,000 followers caught his attention. Despite having a large number of followers, the account consistently posted irrelevant comments and lacked meaningful engagement. This anomaly prompted Kris to investigate further, leading to a broader conversation about the implications and dangers of fake profiles on professional networking sites.

One key takeaway from their conversation is the motivational factors behind creating fake profiles. Kris highlights a range of activities from promoting scams and fake job offers to phishing attempts and even cyber reconnaissance. Fake accounts might seek to gather personal information through seemingly legitimate contact requests or endorsements, which could then be used for nefarious purposes. Kris explains that fake profiles often masquerade as legitimate individuals or companies, which makes them hard to identify at a glance. He recounts instances where Endorsements were used as a tool by these profiles to build credibility. In one case, a fake profile had numerous endorsements from a marketing tool, unbeknownst to the people doing the endorsing. This exploitation of LinkedIn's features underscores the complexity of detecting inauthentic activities. The episode also touches on the sophisticated techniques used to enhance the legitimacy of fake profiles.

Kris shares how these profiles sometimes share resumes and job offers to build trust within the LinkedIn community. Sean and Kris debate the ultimate end-goals of these activities, including using amassed information for large-scale phishing or vishing campaigns, perpetrating job offer scams, and scraping data for fraudulent purposes.

For professionals and companies, the conversation provides crucial advice: maintaining vigilance and conducting regular checks on connections and endorsements can help mitigate risks. Both speakers emphasize the importance of trust but verify, suggesting that users report suspicious activities to LinkedIn and engage cautiously with unsolicited requests.

In summary, the episode explores how fake LinkedIn profiles represent a growing concern, affecting both individuals and organizations. Through their shared experiences and insights, Sean Martin and Kris Rides bring valuable awareness to this issue, encouraging proactive measures to safeguard personal and professional information in the digital age.

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Resources

Inspiring Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/krisrides_ive-reported-this-so-im-unsure-how-long-activity-7211061069274914817-aN43/

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