New LinkedIn Feature Replicates Hacker Attack

LinkedIn’s new mobile app known as Intro is being hailed a hackers dream come true. Intro includes a feature that interacts with the information in a user’s email in a way that is similar to a “man-in-middle-attack.” James Lyne of Forbes explains it like this, “LinkedIn’s new Intro service has put up a big sign advertising to cyber criminals, nation states and others ‘hack here, we’ve got loads of juicy data’.” [1]

Essentially this new feature can scrape data from a iPhone or iPad user’s email, analyzes that data, and connect that with data with information on the LinkedIn server. While Apple has historically restricted apps to work within the Apple ecosystem, this app “re-configures the email to proxy through LinkedIn servers.” This means that LinkedIn servers operate in between the user and his email server. The implications should be frightening. Even if a user trusts LinkedIn, an attack on LinkedIn could expose the email of users to the attacker.

The security consulting firm Bishop Fox warns the people who use this new app could forfeit attorney-client privileges and they may be violating their employers security policy. [2]

[1] James Lyne. “LinkedIn Intro: Hack Here For Juicy Data.” Forbes, October 25, 2013
[2] Nicole Perlroth. “LinkedIn’s New Mobile App Called ‘a Dream for Attackers’.” New York Times, October 24, 2013

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