ASIO has released its annual report cautioning users about the risks of how much information you reveal on LinkedIn. It pointed to foreign intelligence agencies as targeting specific users for information and intelligence.
ASIO said in its 2018 – 2019 report it had alerted the Business and Government Liaison Unit (BGLU) subscribers about “hostile intelligence services” actively seeking relevant employees The BGLU is made up of relevant government departments as well as companies within relevant industries.
“During the year, we developed advice describing how hostile intelligence services use LinkedIn and other social media platforms to target people in positions that could fulfil a wide range of intelligence objectives,” ASIO’s report read.
“The report’s release generated awareness of this vector being used for hostile intelligence activity, led to action by stakeholders to better manage security risks, and provided some new intelligence back to ASIO.”
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2018/09/us-government-claims-china-is-using-linkedin-to-recruit-spies/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/mekzakygr11pcb8jgaxj.jpg” title=”US Government Claims China Is Using LinkedIn To Recruit Spies” excerpt=”The US government claims that China is using LinkedIn to recruit spies in America. And it’s now calling for Microsoft, the company that owns LinkedIn, to shut down allegedly fake accounts being used to build its spy network. First reported by Reuters, the allegations are being made by William Evanina, the head of US counter-intelligence.”]
It recommended companies consider limiting or restricting social media at work in order to decrease any chance of foreign intelligence services having a crack at infiltrating them.
“In a small number of organisations, security teams were considering making policy changes in response to receiving our advice; for example, to limit or restrict social media access on their corporate networks,” the report continued.
Earlier this year, the US government alleged China was recruiting spies through LinkedIn. While he didn’t provide any concrete evidence to support his claims, he pointed to a 2018 case of a former CIA agent being recruited by China to gather top secret information.
Similarly, German authorities alleged more than 10,000 German workers had been contacted by Chinese spies in 2017 through social media sites, including LinkedIn.
So, just a friendly reminder to be cautious of how much information you put on your LinkedIn now that your resume is a social media profile is an actual resume.