Spies using fake profiles on LinkedIn to trick staff

MI5 has warned that at least 10,000 UK nationals have been approached by fake profiles linked to hostile states on the professional social network LinkedIn.

The security agency's chief Ken McCallum said that ‘malicious profiles’ are being used on ‘an industrial scale’ and warned that users who had accepted such connection requests might have then been lured into sharing secrets.

The 10,000-plus figure includes staff in virtually every government departments as well as key industries, who might be offered speaking or business and travel opportunities that could lead to attempts to recruit them to provide confidential information.

A campaign  Think Before You Link - has been launched to educate government workers about the threat. It is being run by the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure.

According to the campaign detail: ‘Criminals and hostile actors may act anonymously or dishonestly online in an attempt to connect with people who have access to valuable and sensitive information. They often do this by posing as recruiters or talent agents who will approach individuals with enticing opportunities, when their real intent is to gather as much information as possible from the target. The consequences of engaging with these profiles can damage individual careers, as well as the interests of your organisation, and the interests of UK national security and prosperity. This guidance provides practical advice on how to identify them, how to respond, and how to minimise the risk of being targeted in the first instance’.