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US Accuses China of 'Super Aggressive' Spy Campaign on LinkedIn (reuters.com)

Posted by msmash on from the closer-look dept.

The United States' top spy catcher said Chinese espionage agencies are using fake LinkedIn accounts to try to recruit Americans with access to government and commercial secrets, and the company should shut them down. From a report: William Evanina, the U.S. counter-intelligence chief, told Reuters in an interview that intelligence and law enforcement officials have told LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft, about China's "super aggressive" efforts on the site. He said the Chinese campaign includes contacting thousands of LinkedIn members at a time, but he declined to say how many fake accounts U.S. intelligence had discovered, how many Americans may have been contacted and how much success China has had in the recruitment drive. German and British authorities have previously warned their citizens that Beijing is using LinkedIn to try to recruit them as spies. But this is the first time a U.S. official has publicly discussed the challenge in the United States and indicated it is a bigger problem than previously known.

50 comments

  1. Hey! Don't bash the free market! by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    No, really, just because it once works against you? Why do you hate capitalism? They just make better offers!

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re:Hey! Don't bash the free market! by JMJimmy · · Score: 1

      Seriously, I'm thinking I should create a network of fake profiles and get myself recruited. There's nothing illegal about providing false intelligence to foreign agencies for compensation right?

    2. Re:Hey! Don't bash the free market! by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      If they are offering real jobs, then how are they "fake"?

      Microsoft is an international company, not beholden to only the US government, and should have no obligation to acquiesce to these demands.

      TFA only gives a single example, and in that case the "victim" knew he was dealing with foreign intelligence agents, and make a deliberate choice to sell them classified info.

    3. Re:Hey! Don't bash the free market! by DaMattster · · Score: 1

      Seriously, I'm thinking I should create a network of fake profiles and get myself recruited. There's nothing illegal about providing false intelligence to foreign agencies for compensation right?

      Especially if you could get paid for the bad information! Then you could rat out the people paying you to the FBI in return for reward money. You'd get paid on both ends of the deal.

    4. Re: Hey! Don't bash the free market! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And how do you expect your Chinese handlers to react when they discover youâ(TM)ve been screwing with them?

    5. Re: Hey! Don't bash the free market! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... how do you expect your Chinese handlers to react ...?

      The chopstick treatment , perhaps?

  2. Let's hope LinkedIn goes down in flames! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Thanks, China! Please take that blight down.

    1. Re:Let's hope LinkedIn goes down in flames! by Thud457 · · Score: 1

      "China used spy it's super aggressive!"

      --

      the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  3. Social media. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Just say no.

  4. ...requests from India... by ole_timer · · Score: 1

    I used to get all kinds of requests from India - I ignored them all...

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    nothing to see here - move along
    1. Re:...requests from India... by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      I used to get all kinds of requests from India - I ignored them all...

      To be a B1H?

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
    2. Re:...requests from India... by ole_timer · · Score: 1

      i think you mean H (1) B

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      nothing to see here - move along
    3. Re:...requests from India... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is H1-B.

    4. Re:...requests from India... by jtara · · Score: 1

      No, he meant B(1)h, the "opposite" of H(1)b

      Some people are not good targets for jokes. They would be the "humorless" segment of the population...

    5. Re:...requests from India... by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      I used to get all kinds of requests from India - I ignored them all...

      To be a V1H?

      That's why America doesn't lead the world in culture anymore. We used to have music videos on television, now we have music television with no music.

      But India has VH1. With real music videos on it. And who was responsible? MTV. Go figure.

      Obviously, we should blame China for this.

    6. Re:...requests from India... by ole_timer · · Score: 1

      yuck yuck yuck - and I mean that in both contexts...

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      nothing to see here - move along
    7. Re:...requests from India... by easyTree · · Score: 1

      /s/anymore//

      --
      Requiem for the American Dream
    8. Re:...requests from India... by easyTree · · Score: 1

      s|/s/|| :/

      --
      Requiem for the American Dream
    9. Re:...requests from India... by easyTree · · Score: 1

      *sigh*

      *deletes slashdot account*

      --
      Requiem for the American Dream
    10. Re:...requests from India... by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      I must confess, I don't get the parentheses joke.

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
  5. Shut Them Down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    LinkedIn should have been shut down a long time ago.

  6. Kind of open about it, really.... by outlander · · Score: 1

    I suppose what is a bit concerning about this is the relatively blatant nature of the contacting.
    It's as if they suspect that tech workers think they're getting screwed by their employers via outsourcing and such and are trying to make a play based on that resentment.
    I'm shocked - SHOCKED!.

    --
    "Truth is what works" -- William James "It works!!" -- o-dark-AM comment
  7. Shhhhh by Tablizer · · Score: 3, Funny

    Maybe the US gov't doesn't shut it down because it sends China fake experts to muck them up by say putting them on Oracle Cloud and Comcast.

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    Table-ized A.I.
    1. Re:Shhhhh by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      It sounds like a good plan until you realize that they copied and re-implemented the API, and it all works fine when you're not suffering under Oracle.

  8. Fabulously aggressive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just outstandingly agressive. It doesn't get any more aggressive. We're going to put a stop to this. A fabulously effective stop. The best stop you've ever seen. Just a solid, effective, outstanding stop.

    1. Re:Fabulously aggressive by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      Make Linkedin Great Again!

  9. Really ? by jmccue · · Score: 1

    Really, worried about someone scraping linkdein ? Why bother just search for the data: securityweek.com

    Only one company to blame for this, it is not China

  10. I think I have been phished by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bing Bang Ow just endorsed my cryptography skills.

  11. What ! They're not blaming Russia ? by Big+Bipper · · Score: 1

    They must be having an off day to have missed that opportunity ;-)

    --
    You live and learn, or you don't learn much.
    1. Re:What ! They're not blaming Russia ? by easyTree · · Score: 1

      Hello? Russia is elections and other 'hacking.'

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      Requiem for the American Dream
    2. Re:What ! They're not blaming Russia ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Russia wants to play at being a serious global power and thinks that manipulating elections does that because it affects the power structure and stuff. China is a serious global power and is out for economic advantage and intel. The two countries are in completely different leagues. And part of that is that Russia will continue to be treated as a pariah due to the complete ineptitude of their leadership while China will continue to be criticised and frowned at and to be taken seriously, because they are serious.

    3. Re:What ! They're not blaming Russia ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      China is a power of the 21st century.
      Russia wants a rematch of the 20th.

  12. "It's only ok if WE do it" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    that's all I read. Accusations mean nothing, when they come from America's mouth, a.k.a the biggest lying asshole in existance.

  13. Can't they just be ultra agressive? by briancox2 · · Score: 1

    Like we are!

    It's a shame that these emerging markets don't know how to spend trillions on an espionage agency, like we do, so that we can come and go without being noticed. They keep using this "lowest hanging fruits" style of espionage on a budget that isn't as transparent. It makes our professionals so embarrassed for them.

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    We should learn what we need to know about issues, before we decide what we need to feel about them.
  14. What's wrong? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I can understand you're not pleased, but it seems to me they're using the Linkedin website or service as intended.

  15. And of course the reverse is always true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So suck it up and deal.

  16. The more you know... by zawarski · · Score: 1

    Did you know Linked In was original going to be called "Circle Jerk", but the domain was already taken.

  17. Why bitch about it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Instead of calling attention to it, just put honeypot accounts on LinkedIn. Send real agents to the interviews. When the foreign recruiters ask for something illegal, arrest them on the spot. Or be--shall we say--"super aggressive" with them? Mua-ha...mua-ha...mua-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

    1. Re:Why bitch about it? by easyTree · · Score: 1

      *strokes cat*

      --
      Requiem for the American Dream
  18. Stupid by easyTree · · Score: 1

    Just stupid.

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    Requiem for the American Dream
  19. Dont list by AHuxley · · Score: 1

    the "secret" and still "classified" gov and mil work you did and other nations would be able to collect it all.

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    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  20. USA = spy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Lol, US accusing anyone of spying is hilarious.

  21. It's super serial.. *diddles nipples* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I hope you guys know now that is is SUPER SERIAL.. really guys, I'm SERIAL , SUPER SERIAL AND AGGRESSIVE SERIAL