Is your LinkedIn locked? Have you secured your account? Hackers want your account.

LinkedIn account hacked?

Recently a friend reported on social media her LinkedIn account had been hacked. Why would anyone want access to her account she asked? My friend runs a business to business service and yes, hackers want her account.

Why do hackers want your LinkedIn account?

Why do hackers want your account? Hackers want to spam your contacts with scams and infected links. Hackers also want to impersonate you to get access to other people’s accounts.

For example, your account, Bea To Bea has hundreds of contacts. If you’re like most B2Bs you have contacts with bigger and wealthier clients. Or you have a contact, Bea To Cee, who has contact with Ruby Sapphire Diamond who the hackers want to scam.

Is your LinkedIn account hacked?

Locked out? Weird posts showing up? LinkedIn provides a report a compromised account page.

Unlike Meta which does a horrible job dealing hacker account takeovers on Facebook and Instagram, LinkedIn provides quick response and recovery. Currently business owners in the US have been forced to use small claims court to recover their Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Do you still have access to your account?

Two things you should do right away. In LinkedIn, go to settings and click on Settings and Privacy.

In Settings & Privacy click on Sign In & Security. Click on Where you are signed in. Beneath current session click End all other sessions.

Regarding devices, LinkedIn seems to recognize Windows 11 devices as Windows 10. Rogers/Shaw modems all seem to be located in Calgary according to LinkedIn even when they are in Metro Vancouver. Don’t let that throw you.

Second important step for you. Turn on MFA. If you don’t know what MFA is or why Multi-Factor Authentication is necessary, read MFA for SMB.

To turn on MFA go back to Sign in & security options. Click on Two Step Verification and turn it on.

Is your LinkedIn locked?

As with any account takeover or hacking, slow down and take a deep breath. If you still have access to your account just end all other sessions. Put MFA on the account. MFA trumps dodgy or reused passwords. Otherwise contact LinkedIn to recover your account.