Why LinkedIn is a hunting ground for threat actors – and how to protect yourself

The business social networking site is a vast, publicly accessible database of corporate information. Don’t believe everyone on the site is who they say they are.

16 Jan 2026 • , 4 min. read

In November, Britain’s Security Service began notifying members of parliament (MPs) and their staff of an audacious foreign intelligence-gathering scheme. It claimed two profiles on LinkedIn were approaching individuals working in British politics in order to solicit “insider insights”. The revelations from MI5 precipitated a £170 million ($230 million) government initiative to tackle espionage threats to parliament.

It may be the most recent high-profile case of threat actors abusing LinkedIn to further their own nefarious goals. But it’s by no means the first. The site can also be a treasure trove of corporate data that can be used to support fraud or threat campaigns. It’s time professionals got wise to the risks of digital ...