500m LinkedIn user data put up for sale in a hack forum

The social network oriented to the world of work. LinkedIn, has suffered a data leak that affects 500 million Internet users. Among the information disclosed are full names of users, their identification in the social network, emails, phone numbers, data related to work, and even links to other social networks.

Cybernews, the specialized media in cybersecurity, discovered the leak.

At the moment, there’s a bidding war on the data of 2 million users on a hacking forum. According to the cybercriminal behind the attack, a larger file sample includes 500 million users’ data. The author of the post sells the sample file for $2, but it appears that the entire file is auctioning it off for four-digit bitcoin sums.

The company is investigating the matter

LinkedIn sources have stated that, for the moment, they do not know how the leak could have occurred. As of yet, there is no information on whether the stolen information is up-to-date or old. The platform explained that it is investigating this matter. LinkedIn claims that the published data seems to include publicly visible information that was extracted from the platform. However, the company states that extracting its members’ data violates LinkedIn’s terms of service. 

Linkedin users are vulnerable to phishing attacks

The leaked data from LinkedIn is similar to the publicly visible data of Facebook users shared just a few days ago on the Web. There was no evidence of sensitive information such as credit card details or legal documents in the sample. However, a cybercriminals group could use the leaked information to launch phishing attacks against victims. This is how cybercriminals use social engineering to deceive users through email, SMS, WhatsApp, sending spam to their emails and phones.

Considering this, LinkedIn users should be especially aware of the messages they receive and be careful.