Finding it difficult to log in to LinkedIn?

Here’s the Story

Imagine you painted a picture of yourself on a canvas, and someone snapped a photo, printed thousands of copies, and started selling them without asking. That’s basically what happened with LinkedIn’s public profiles. In early 2021, there was a data breach, and the new one happened recently, data connected to 500 million LinkedIn users was discovered for sale on a hacker forum. It wasn’t a break-in to LinkedIn’s secret vaults, but it shows us how easy it can be for bad actors to gather public info and why online safety matters for everyone, even if you’re only in ninth grade

In this article, let’s look at,

• What exactly happened in this LinkedIn data leak
• Why scraped data is dangerous
• Simple steps to protect online accounts and stay safe online

So What Exactly Happened with the LinkedIn Data

Was LinkedIn Hacked? Not Quite

This wasn’t a hack of LinkedIn’s private servers. Instead, criminals used an automated way to copy publicly visible information from many profiles, like someone quickly flipping through pages of a phonebook. LinkedIn confirmed that their secure systems weren’t breached. Instead, profile details that members set to public were aggregated from multiple sources across the web. That process is called LinkedIn data scraping.

What Kind of Information Was Grabbed

Here’s what ended up in the bulk collection.

• Full names
• Email addresses
• Phone numbers
• Workplace info: current and past jobs
• Gender
• Links to LinkedIn profiles
• Links to other social media profiles

What wasn’t taken super sensitive data like credit card numbers or private messages. So while it’s not a total breach of your deepest secrets, this exposed data can still fuel phishing scams and identity theft

Who Got This Information

A user on a hacker forum was selling the dataset for a small fee. Later, even more LinkedIn data, sometimes older or duplicated, surfaced on similar underground sites. That means your info could be floating around places you’ve never heard of.

Why Is Scraped Data Dangerous?

Risk 1: Fake Messages, Scam’s Phishing

With your real email and workplace info, criminals craft messages that look genuine. You might get an email from LinkedIn asking you to click a link to view a new message. Click it and you could give away your password or install malware. These phishing scams use personal details to trick you.

Risk 2: Annoying Spam

Once spammers have your email or phone number, expect more junk mail and robocalls. Your inbox and text threads could fill up with random ads or scam offer’s making it harder to spot the real ones you care about.

Risk : 3 Trying to Guess Your Passwords, Brute Forcing

Hackers may use your email address to bombard websites with common password guesses like 123456 or Password2021. If you reuse passwords, they could break into multiple accounts. That’s why unique passwords are so important.

Risk 4: Creating Fake Profiles, Identity Theft

By combining this LinkedIn data with other leaks, like from social media or school sites, scammers can build a detailed picture of your name, job history, and even gender. They could pretend to be you online or open accounts in your name. That’s full-on identity theft risk.

What YOU Can Do Right Now To Be Safer Online?

Step 1: Check if Your Email Was Exposed

Go to a reputable data leak checker, for example, Have I Been Pwned, and type in your email. It’ll tell you if your address shows up in known breaches, including the LinkedIn data leak. Only use trusted sites and avoid sketchy tools that ask for extra personal details.

You will see the breach if your data had been pawned like below,

Step 2: Be Super Careful with Messages and Requests

Stay skeptical of random connection invites on LinkedIn or friend requests on social apps

Don’t click any strange links, even if the sender seems legit. Their account might be compromised

Good habit if a link looks fishy, hover over it to see the real web address before you tap or click

Step 3: Power Up Your Passwords Super Important

Change your LinkedIn password and any other accounts that share the same password

Create strong passwords at least 12 characters, mix uppercas,e lowercas,e numbers, and symbol,s like Avoid name,s birthday,s or common phrases

Use a password manager app that generates and stores complex passwords for you. You only need to remember one master password, and the rest are safely locked away

Step 4: Turn On the Extra Lock Two Factor Authentication (2FA)

Think of 2FA as having two keys your password Key 1 plus a temporary code sent to your phone or generated by an app Key 2 Even if someone knows your password they cant log in without that second code Enable 2FA on LinkedIn email social media and any other service that offers it Its one of the most effective ways to protect online accounts.

What Happens When Companies React Badly

The Cargills Bank Story

In Sri Lanka, the Cargills Bank data breach leaked highly sensitive customer information like ID card copies. Instead of focusing purely on security fixes and notifying customers, the bank used the new Sri Lanka Online Safety Act to block websites and social media posts discussing the leak, including darkweb mirror sites.

Experts called this approach backwards.

• Blocking dark web links is nearly impossible for internet providers
• It looked like an attempt to silence discussion rather than solve the root problem
• It triggered the Streisand Effect: the more you try to hide something, the more people notice and share it

Lesson: Responsible open communication and solid security fixes build trust. Trying to cover up a breach only makes things worse.

Has LinkedIn Had Security Issues Before

Back in 2012, LinkedIn suffered a breach in which about 65 million user passwords were stolen and posted online. At that time, LinkedIn didn’t encrypt those passwords as strongly, so many were cracked quickly. That incident shows why ongoing security updates and user vigilance, like changing passwords and using 2FA are essential. As technology evolves, so do the tricks of cybercriminals.

Stay Alert, Stay Safe Online

Your public profiles and basic contact info might seem harmless, but they’re valuable to the wrong people. By taking these simple steps, checking for leaks using strong, unique passwords with a password manager, enabling 2FA, and staying skeptical of unexpected messages, you’ll make it much harder for scammers to target you

Your online safety is in your hands. Be cybersmart, share these tips with friends and keep your digital life locked down.