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Data Of 700 Million LinkedIn Users Is For Sale On The Dark Web

Who would pay for this information, you wonder? Spammers, phishers, and other cybercriminals are definitely the target audience here.

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data of 700 million linkedin users is on sale for $5000 on the dark web

The security team at LinkedIn doesn’t get much rest lately. In April, 500 million of its user’s data was exposed by hackers, and the same data collection technique was apparently used by a dark web user called TomLiner, who is currently selling 700 million LinkedIn user records (92% of all LinkedIn users) in a convenient bundle for just $5,000.

The data collection technique in question is called scraping, which is the act of extracting useful information from a website. Since any public website can be scraped using readily available tools, it wouldn’t be correct to call this incident a breach, as LinkedIn quickly pointed out.

“While we’re still investigating this issue, our initial analysis indicates that the dataset includes information scraped from LinkedIn as well as information obtained from other sources,” said Leonna Spilman, Corporate Communications Manager at LinkedIn. “This was not a LinkedIn data breach, and our investigation has determined that no private LinkedIn member data was exposed.”

So, what data has been exposed? Fortunately, no passwords or dates of birth. Here’s what a sample of one million records published by the scrapper contains:

  • Email addresses
  • Full names
  • Phone numbers
  • Physical addresses
  • Geolocation records
  • LinkedIn username and profile URL
  • Personal and professional experience/background
  • Genders
  • Other social media accounts and usernames

Who would pay $5,000 for this information, you wonder? Spammers, phishers, and other cybercriminals are definitely the target audience here.

Also Read: Is Your Phone Hacked? How To Find Out & Protect Yourself

Having all this information in one place makes it much easier for them to create detailed profiles of their potential victims and launch sophisticated targeted attacks against them. Sure, they could simply scape it by themselves using LinkedIn’s own API (application program interface) just like the seller did, but cybercrime can be so profitable that their time is often more valuable.

If you have a LinkedIn account, then you should assume that your personal information is included in the dataset and act accordingly. More specifically, you should enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) and avoid replying to email messages from unknown senders, let alone opening any attachments they may contain.

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Intel’s New Core i9 Desktop CPU Breaks Another Speed Record

The i9-14900K packs 24 cores and 32 threads of raw processing power.

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intel's new core i9 desktop cpu breaks another speed record
Intel

Intel has broken another speed record with its latest desktop CPU. The company’s new Core i9-14900KS processor can reach speeds of up to 6.2GHz without overclocking, making it the fastest desktop CPU available to PC enthusiasts. The milestone beats another Intel record from last year, where its last processor maxed out at a still impressive 6GHz.

intel core i9-14900ks cpu

In addition to record-breaking clock speed, the i9-14900KS also boasts a 24-core, 32-thread architecture along with a 36 megabyte Smart Cache, which is a proprietary Intel technology that shares cache memory between the different cores. Intel says the feature allows for “powerful performance in gaming and content creation workloads”.

The i9-14900K also makes use of Intel’s Thermal Velocity Boost, which is a feature of 11th generation and later Intel Core chips that maxes out the clock frequency by 100 MHz when temperatures are below 70 degrees C, or 158 degrees F.

As for real-world statistics, the company is confident that gamers will enjoy up to 15% better performance. Content creators will also be happy to hear that complex workflows will receive a massive 73% boost. The i9-14900KS is compatible with the latest Z790 and Z690 motherboards, but Intel recommends ensuring the bios is updated to ensure optimum results.

Also Read: Getting Started With Google Gemini: A Beginner’s Guide

Although the speed of Intel’s i9 is impressive, a team from ASUS ROG has already claimed another four world records by overclocking the new chip, pushing the CPU to a frankly astounding 9.1 GHz.

The Core i9-14900KS is available from stores today and starts at $700. The chip will be available for DIY PC builders as a standalone item but should soon find its way into OEM systems very soon.

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