Security News > 2021 > April > LinkedIn was vector for 10,000 hostile state recruiting efforts against Brits, warns MI5
Ten thousand Britons have been targeted on LinkedIn by recruiters for the Chinese and Russian intelligence services, according to an awareness campaign launched by domestic spy agency MI5 this morning.
Details were previewed in this morning's Times newspaper, which warned specifically of people with "Access to classified or sensitive information" being targeted by Britain's enemies.
The campaign is primarily targeted at public-sector workers in members of the multinational Five Eyes espionage alliance, with the US FBI and Office of the Director of National Intelligence both praising CPNI's efforts along with Australia and New Zealand.
While The Times reported that Russia and China state actors were the biggest suspects, much LinkedIn phishing and targeting activity has come from North Korea in recent years, though the technique is not confined to Little Kim's nation.
A couple of years ago, for example, a deepfake account on LinkedIn was used to target a Russia specialist at British think tank Chatham House.
The world of tech is well used to LinkedIn approaches from malicious or not-as-they-seem characters.