LinkedIn has developed new security features to combat fraud. In recent years, the professional social network has been plagued by massive cyber-attacks. It hopes to limit malicious use of accounts with these tools.
Combating fake profiles
LinkedIn announces three new security featurestwo of which have been specially developed for combat false profiles. For users, fake accounts imply the risk of identity theft. False profiles can also be used for broader digital attacks.
Malicious actors use fraudulent accounts to target legitimate subscribers, employees, customers and so on. A new feature called “About this profile” allows subscribers to check when a profile has been created and when the account has been updated. This can already give a first indication of an account’s credibility.
In addition, this feature indicates whether the information associated with the account, including phone number and business email, has been verified. The second feature, powered by artificial intelligence, uses a deep learning model to detect fake accounts with photos.
By detecting fake accounts, LinkedIn’s bots can remove them upstream before malicious actors can use them to run fraud/scam campaigns. Cybersecurity experts applaud this effort, arguing that any measure aimed at protecting users is a positive step.
LinkedIn: warning users of risky content to improve account security
Malicious actors can use private messages on social networks as an initial attack vector. So LinkedIn has also thought about securing accounts at this level. Among its new security features, the platform has introduced reporting for certain messages with content deemed risky.
It is now possible to report such messages without notifying the sender. LinkedIn’s popularity makes it a prime target for cybercriminals. For this reason, the platform is stepping up its efforts to take security to the next level.
Experts agree that social networks and other online platforms should make every effort to protect their users. This, knowing that malicious actors are constantly multiplying their fraud techniques. Investment scams, recruitment scams and romance scams are just a few examples.
In addition, fraudsters can use social media in their efforts to appear legitimate. These platforms allow them to hide behind anonymity and reach large numbers of people at low cost. Although LinkedIn offers a wide range of security features, protecting accounts is also everyone’s responsibility.