New “BrowserGate” report claims LinkedIn secretly scans user browsers for installed extensions and collects device data


A new report is alleging LinkedIn uses hidden JavaScript to scan its visitors’ browsers for installed extensions, looks for those that compete with its own sales tools, and then twists its users’ arms until they stop using those and pick LinkedIn’s products, instead.

However the social network says this is a smear campaign run by a disgruntled extensions developer who lost a court battle in Germany. An “association of commercial LinkedIn users” called Fairlinked e.V published a report detailing “BrowserGate” – claiming LinkedIn scans for thousands of browser extensions and ties the results to identifiable user profiles – and by scanning, LinkedIn harvests personal and corporate information.

Read more…
Source: TechRadar News


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • SentinelLabs uncovers new CapraRAT spyware targeting Android users

    July 1, 2024

    A new report released today by SentinelLabs, warns of a resurgence of CapraRAT spyware targeting mobile gamers and weapons enthusiasts through malicious Android applications. CapraRAT is an Android remote-access trojan virus used by a Pakistan-linked threat actor called Transparent Tribe, also known as APT36, which first emerged around 2018. The malware has primarily been used for ...

  • The biggest data breaches in 2024: 1B stolen records and rising

    June 29, 2024

    We’re over halfway through 2024, and already this year we have seen some of the biggest, most damaging data breaches in recent history. And just when you think that some of these hacks can’t get any worse, they do. From huge stores of customers’ personal information getting scraped, stolen and posted online, to reams of medical ...

  • Remote access giant TeamViewer says Russian spies hacked its corporate network

    June 28, 2024

    TeamViewer, the company that makes widely used remote access tools for companies, has confirmed an ongoing cyberattack on its corporate network. In a statement Friday, the company attributed the compromise to government-backed hackers working for Russian intelligence, known as APT29 (and Midnight Blizzard). The Germany-based company said its investigation so far points to an initial intrusion on ...

  • 2024 U.S. Federal Elections: The Insider Threat

    June 28, 2024

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) prepared this overview to help partners defend against insider threat concerns that could materialize during the 2024 election cycle. For years, ...

  • Unauthenticated Command Injection in Netis Router

    June 28, 2024

    This week’s Metasploit release includes an exploit module for an unauthenticated command injection vulnerability in the Netis MW5360 router which is being tracked as CVE-2024-22729. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of the password parameter within the router’s web interface which allows for command injection. Fortunately for attackers, the router’s login page authorization can be bypassed ...

  • Airports, Student Aid Services Struck by Indonesian Cyber Attack

    June 28, 2024

    Indonesia’s parliament called the government to task over another cyber attack that led to airport and scholarship services being put out of service. The ransomware attack that affected hundreds of ministries and public institutions was “catastrophic,” said lawmaker Tubagus Hasanuddin in a Thursday evening hearing with the communications minister and the head of state cybersecurity agency. ...