Hackers are currently attacking LinkedIn accounts en masse worldwide. According to security specialists at Cyberint, the attacks follow a set pattern, while users are experiencing a great deal of inconvenience.
According to Cyberint researchers, LinkedIn accounts are currently being encountered worldwide. Victims are experiencing great inconvenience, including losing access to their accounts and facing blocked accounts. In addition, some victims must pay a ransom to restore access. Accounts are also being permanently deleted.
Two scenarios
The attacks have two consistent scenarios. In the first scenario, an account is temporarily blocked by LinkedIn itself due to suspicious activity or hacking attempts. On this, affected individuals receive an official email from LinkedIn notifying them of the security measure.
For example, because the hackers tried to hack the accounts through two-factor authentication or brute force attacks on passwords. End users are urged to verify their accounts and change passwords to regain access.
The second scenario is that the account is indeed hacked. In doing so, the hackers make it impossible to independently regain access to the account. This is because once hackers have gained access, they change the linked email address with a randomly generated email address. Then the password is changed. This makes recovery of the account by the victim impossible.
In some cases, victims then received an e-mail demanding a ransom for access recovery. Other accounts were deleted immediately.
Motives unknown
Cyberint researchers further state that the motives of the hackers are unclear. However, the impact of this attack is very high. LinkedIn has not yet officially responded.
Also read: Hackers attack security researchers via LinkedIn
