‘Attractive female recruiter’ used to lure LinkedIn users to malware

A new virus on LinkedIn is using fake job offers to entice users onto malicious websites.

The adverts posted on the business-orientated social network use an image of an “attractive female recruiter” to further tempt users, said security firm Bitdefender, which discovered the virus.

“There are hundreds of companies right now searching for people that can speak two languages,” the faux recruiter, named ‘Annabella Erica’, says on the bogus profile.

“It doesn’t matter what language you speak, as long as you speak English, and at least one other language, there are plenty of jobs for you available.”

The link, which uses a .com prefix to mask its dangerous source, has been inserted into legitimate LinkedIn groups, including the 167,000-strong Global Jobs Network.

UK users may be particularly at risk, with 13 million British users making up the majority of the site’s userbase.

Some of the websites that ‘Annabella’ links through to include malware-ridden code that attempts to harvest the personal data of unsuspecting users.

“It’s always important to check the new profiles that add you on LinkedIn,” commented Catalin Cosoi, chief security strategist at Bitdefender.

“No matter how hard you’re looking for a job or wanting to expand your professional network, it’s crucial to do a bit of research before accepting new connections.” 

“Check if you share trusted connections with the people who add you on LinkedIn, and when you share insights on LinkedIn groups, be careful with the information you post. Social engineers seek details that help them reach you or your company through spear phishing and social media attacks.”