92% of LinkedIn accounts hacked: police explain what to do

LinkedIn application on a smartphone @ BelgaImage

No less than 700 of the 756 million hacked LinkedIn profiles, or 92% of the users of the professional platform. This is what Privacy Shark found when it saw this huge amount of data available for sale on the Darkweb. The information dates back to last June, but it is superimposed on another leak involving 500 million users of the same social network, and this still concerns the Computer Crime Unit, the federal police unit dedicated to cybercrime. Commissioner Olivier Bogaert has just given more information on this subject, not forgetting a few tips on what to do as a LinkedIn user.

Are you hit? If so, what to fear and what to do?

When asked by RTL Info, the Commissioner explains that in order to find out if a person is concerned, "you just have to look for 'LinkedIn leak' in your search engine, and there you will have sites that will be offered to you and that will allow you to know if your profile is affected". These include Cybernews (often cited in computer media) and have I been Pwned (the latter being recommended by Privacy Shark). A search bar then allows you to write the email address used for your LinkedIn account to see if it is affected.

"unfortunately, if you are concerned, as a member of this professional social network, here are the information that is available: your surname and surname, your address, your telephone number, your email address, your location history, your professional activity information and many more. Fortunately, passwords are not concerned, "says Olivier Bogaert on the RTBF website. However, he suggested changing his password as a precaution, as a hacker could still find it using software if he searched a little further.

At best, however, the Commissioner advises those affected by the leak to be even more radical. "given the vast amount of data available, I think we need to consider closing the existing profile and recreating a new one with a completely different password," he says to RTL Info. "you will have to pay particular attention to messages that are likely to happen to you because hackers and scammers have information about you and could send you messages that will attract your attention and allow, for example, the installation of malware."?

Finally, Olivier Bogaert also invites Internet users to update their security software: "you can go to the settings to check that intrusion attempts are detected and, if possible, also activate the phishing detection tool".