Smart links linkedin

The Ingenious Manipulation of LinkedIn Smart Links in Phishing Scams: How Cybercriminals are EvolvingCybersecurity has always been a cat-and-mouse game between defenders and attackers. One such battleground that has emerged is on the LinkedIn platform, particularly its Smart Links feature. Designed to make it easier for professionals to share content and track user engagement, Smart Links have been weaponized by cybercriminals to bypass security measures and launch sophisticated phishing attacks. In this comprehensive article, we'll delve into how hackers are exploiting LinkedIn Smart Links, the mechanics behind these phishing schemes, and what measures can be taken to defend against them. Our primary focus will be on the “LinkedIn Smart Links Phishing” phenomenon, a new frontier in cybersecurity threats.What Are LinkedIn Smart Links?Originally introduced in 2016, LinkedIn's Smart Links are a feature in the Sales Navigator tool. They allow users to share links that lead to their blogs, websites, or social media platforms. When other LinkedIn users click on these links, the person who posted the Smart Link can gain insights into who interacted with the link and how.Companies have increasingly been using Smart Links for driving online traffic, as well as for targeted marketing and analytics. This feature is equipped with tracking parameters, enabling businesses to customize their outreach based on the geographical location of the clicker or their interaction behavior. While designed to be beneficial, the feature has opened up a Pandora's box of cybersecurity issues.The Traditional Use of Smart LinksBefore diving into the phishing aspect, it's crucial to understand the primary use-case of Smart Links. Businesses and professionals use them as a part of their LinkedIn Sales Navigator strategy, aiming to establish brand presence and increase revenue. The Smart Links feature enables a more focused marketing approach. It offers analytics on who clicked the links, how many times they were clicked, and even what parts of the shared content were most engaging.How Smart Links Are Being ExploitedHowever, the utility of Smart Links has also attracted the attention of cybercriminals. In a stunning revelation, Cofense, an email security firm, disclosed that hackers have been employing LinkedIn's Smart Links to launch large-scale phishing attacks. Initially, these attacks were masquerading as communications from the Slovakian Postal Service requesting shipping fees. Fast forward to a year later, the same Smart Links are now being used in a far more extensive phishing campaign aimed at stealing Microsoft Office credentials.Anatomy of a LinkedIn Smart

Links Phishing ScamAccording to Cofense's reports, there was a sudden spike in phishing emails containing LinkedIn Smart Links. These emails varied in themes like finance, document sharing, and general notifications. Because these links originated from LinkedIn, a platform generally considered safe, they could bypass the security gateways of even the most secure email systems.The structure of these malicious Smart Links often mimicked the legitimate ones, making it difficult to distinguish them. They carried parameters that directed victims to phishing pages, which appeared as generic as possible to ensure a wide range of victims. Often, the landing pages would autofill the email address of the victims, asking them to complete the login by providing their passwords. Once done, the Microsoft Office credentials were sent straight to the hackers.image © 2025. all rights reserved.Why This Strategy is EffectiveThe tactic of using LinkedIn Smart Links in phishing campaigns is deceptively simple but profoundly effective. Security solutions often mark LinkedIn as a trusted source. Hackers abuse this trust by embedding phishing links that appear to originate from LinkedIn, thus bypassing security layers and landing directly in the target's inbox.Menlo Labs' senior director, Vinay Pidathala, emphasized in an interview how this is an example of cybercriminals evolving their tactics. They are now focusing on highly evasive threats that are designed to slip past existing defense mechanisms.Countering LinkedIn Smart Links Phishing AttacksPrevention remains better than cure. Cofense argues that while email security solutions are crucial, they can't replace vigilant users. Staff should be educated to recognize suspicious links and not to click on them unless verified. Training should also cover how to differentiate between legitimate and malicious Smart Links.The Larger ImplicationThe LinkedIn Smart Links Phishing issue signifies an alarming trend. As security suites improve, hackers are finding innovative ways to work around them. It is, therefore, crucial for both individuals and businesses to be vigilant and continuously adapt their cybersecurity strategies.ConclusionLinkedIn Smart Links, despite their legitimate and beneficial uses, have unfortunately become another tool in the hacker's arsenal. By taking advantage of trusted platforms, hackers can bypass many security layers, making LinkedIn Smart Links Phishing a critical concern for cybersecurity in our increasingly interconnected world.Keeping abreast of the evolving tactics of cybercriminals and remaining vigilant can go a long way in safeguarding your digital presence. Stay alert, stay safe.FAQsWhat are LinkedIn Smart Links?LinkedIn Smart Links are a feature of LinkedIn's Sales Navigator service that allows users

To share content by adding links to their profiles, pointing to their own websites, blogs, or other online presences.How are Smart Links being exploited for phishing?Hackers have been abusing the Smart Links feature to redirect users to malicious websites. They add unique alphanumeric variables at the end of the Smart Link URLs to bypass security measures and redirect users to phishing sites.What was unusual about the most recent phishing campaign involving Smart Links?The scope of the latest campaign was unusually large. More than 800 emails across various industries contained over 80 unique LinkedIn Smart Links that were being used for phishing.Who are the primary targets of these phishing attacks?While these attacks are not specific to any industry, the majority of targets have been in the finance, manufacturing, energy, construction, and healthcare industries.Why are Smart Links effective for phishing?Because Smart Links come from LinkedIn, a trusted domain, they can often bypass email security gateways. Phishing emails usually use generic subject lines that make them look like legitimate notifications.What happens if I click on a malicious Smart Link?Clicking on a malicious Smart Link will usually redirect you through a series of URLs to a phishing page that mimics a Microsoft login page or other trusted sites. Here, your credentials may be stolen if entered.How can I protect myself from such phishing attempts?It's crucial to be vigilant about the links you click on, especially in emails. Never enter your credentials on a website that you've accessed through a link in an unsolicited email. Check the URL carefully to make sure it's actually the site it claims to be.Are email security suites effective against these kinds of attacks?While email security suites can offer some level of protection, the nature of Smart Links being from a trusted domain (LinkedIn) allows these phishing emails to often bypass security measures.Is LinkedIn doing anything to counter these phishing attempts?The article does not specify any countermeasures by LinkedIn, but it's generally advisable to report any phishing attempts to the platform for investigation.What should companies do to protect their employees?Companies should invest in regular security training for their employees to recognize phishing attempts and should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add an additional layer of security. Kevin Bong was formerly the Director of Corporate Security for Johnson Financial Group, and currently works as an Information Assurance Consultant for SynerComm, Inc. Kevin has a BS in Physics and Computer

As avid users of LinkedIn PointDrive, news of upcoming changes had us a little anxious. Now we know what’s changing and what’s staying or going, will it help or hinder social selling?If you’re not currently using PointDrive, you’ve been missing a (some would call sneaky) social selling trick. PointDrive allows you to bundle several documents and links into a customisable page from which your contacts could interact with your content. You would, in return, receive detailed statistics on who interacted with your content and to which level.The good news is that the extensive content analytics option is remaining - you can still see who’s viewed your content, what pages they’ve viewed and when.The bad news might be that there are some other valuable features that are being cut. Here’s a brief guide to the main changes, what’s staying and what’s going in the newly named 'Smart Links' solution.Watch a demo of Smart Links, here:PointDrive: The Key Changes (And Why They’re Happening)LinkedIn said that the move is meant to “maximise your team’s productivity while maintaining the unique value that PointDrive brings to salespeople”. Apparently, the feedback and user analysis shows that PointDrive’s content management system wasn’t good enough. Users also wanted a more streamlined solution, with the ability to share the link within Sales Navigator workflows.The LinkedIn team has therefore put their resources into improving what they feel social sellers really wanted - providing real-time interest and intent signals. They have now redesigned the content management capabilities but kept the detailed content analytics. The idea was also for PointDrive capabilities to be built directly into the Sales Navigator solution making it easier for sales reps to share the link within Sales Navigator. However, what this means is that PointDrive - as we know it - will stop existing.After 30th May 2020, content stored in PointDrive will no longer be supported, therefore all documents have to be moved out by that date of this platform into Smart Links as otherwise they will be lost.The New Features (And Ones That Are Staying)There are a few really valuable new features in the new solution (Smart Links) that has just appeared in the Sales Navigator. A few more should be coming in before May.A new home within LinkedIn Sales NavigatorSmart Links is no longer a stand-alone platform. Instead, the files are stored and accessed directly from Sales Navigator from a library of documents. This means you can easily package content into one link without leaving your workflow. On top of this, LinkedIn is planning to built this option in to the messaging part of the Sales Navigator. Below is a mock up (provided by LinkedIn) of how this solution could look in the future:Sharing abilityYou

Are still be able to share the link to the files bundle a variety of ways: from within LinkedIn Sales Navigator and InMail or even email and social media - making it easy to share on the go. You can do this by simply coping the link to the clipboard and pasting it to e.g. email.Real-time extensive analyticsYou are still be able to see the viewer name, all view events, and all download events (including what pages of the presentation were viewed and when). On top of this, you will now get to see how much time each person spent on viewing each one of the pages of your document, as in the example below.The real-time notifications are also staying. If the document is forwarded onto someone else, you’ll have that same level of insight into how they consumed your content. Most importantly, their activity will be still linked with their LinkedIn profile.Multiple files with just one link for referenceThe ability to bundle a number of files all into one link has also stayed as a feature. This is what made PointDrive appealing for the end-user - the convenience of accessing everything you need to know without lots of emails flying around with attachments attached, therefore it makes sense that it’s staying.PointDrive: Features That Will Be Cut Sadly, not all of the features we have used regularly will stay. Here are the ones that are going:Branded customisation Before the changes, you could add image, background cover, a welcoming text as well as description of each asset.We now know that with the new solution (Smart Links) you will still be able to customise the look and feel by uploading branded documents, which will then show as a preview on the presentation cover. However, the page itself would not feature any additional information beyond the title of the files bundle, making it less customised.Sharing team content via a librarySmart Links no longer allow you to create file bundles that could be shared with your team (just like PointDrive did). Going forwards, your content will need to be kept in a separate content management system from which the files would be uploaded to Smart Links only for the purpose of creating a unique content bundle presentation/tracking link. In short, think more about this new development as tracking and presentation solution rather than a storage option.Adding links to videos or other online contentWhen announcing the PointDrive changes, LinkedIn mentioned that we would no longer be able to embed a link to the video directly into the presentation. This also meant that the option to add any external links to eg. your blog page was going. However, there is a way around it. Instead, you