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Guys, you're a technical crowd. How would this even be possible? I mean, if you haven't given access to your gmail contacts to linkedin through oauth, this shou

by oneloop 10y ago

Guys, you're a technical crowd. How would this even be possible? I mean, if you haven't given access to your gmail contacts to linkedin through oauth, this shouldn't be possible. If you have... you should expect that the app you gave access to will use the access. I'm calling bullshit.

afandian 10y ago
I'm technical. It happened to me. I'd be the first to call bullshit on myself, but it happened and I honestly don't know how they did it.
- thewhitetulip 10y ago
  I have had facebook recommend me people with whom I have communicated via Gmail and Github only
  - tristanj 10y ago
    I've had this happen before too. Quite likely the other person searched your name on Facebook and clicked your profile but didn't send a friend request. Facebook thought you two might know each other, hence they suggested a friend request.
    - thewhitetulip 10y ago
      I do not think he would have searched for my name, we had exchanged a few emails for working on an open source project, to which, he had said that he was too busy :-D
    - dkersten 10y ago
      I've had a fake gmail account that I was using to reply to scammers show up on linkedin. I've had old old old hotmail addresses (which I didn't delete from my contact list and at some point imported into gmail, back when gmail was new) show up on linkedin. I've never used their apps or otherwise connected my gmail. Yes, its possible that they tricked me somehow using some dark pattern, but there is no legitimate way they could have added these "people" to my list.
      - jrockway 10y ago
        Why isn't it possible that the scammers you replied to told LinkedIn your email address (probably through an automated contact list upload)?
        dkersten 10y ago
        Its possible. I'd say its very unlikely though. But that doesn't explain old no-longer-existing hotmail addresses. My point is that there are many cases which are incredibly unlikely to have gotten into linkedin's database legitimately. I mean, sure, it could have very well been that they tricked me somehow. Likely in fact (more likely than them knowing some kind of cross site scripting vulnerability in gmail). But in my opinion that is just as illegitimate scum tactics as hacking my inbox and IMHO should be illegal. I do know that I did NOT authorise this action, whatever it may be.
  - DavideNL 10y ago
    that's obviously possible: If the other person adds you to their phone address book, and opens his Facebook app which uploads his contacts to FB, FB will know you are "friends" and recommend it to you.
    - thewhitetulip 10y ago
      Yes, seems like a logical conclusion :)
  - wj 10y ago
    Maybe the other person let LinkedIn/Facebook access their contacts and then the service sees they haven't reached out to you so it checks if you want to reach out to them.
    - thewhitetulip 10y ago
      This would be a more logical answer :D Maybe their gmail is in sync with contacts in some weird way and that is in sync with facebook. But it was so spooky that I started using facebook strictly in incognito mode.
  - oops 10y ago
    Did you use the same Wi-Fi network as those people at some point? Maybe it's something like that. My throwaway account at work is always being recommended someone that once visited my home and used the Wi-Fi, and to whom I have no other connection.
    - thewhitetulip 10y ago
      Nope, that guy lives a million miles away.
  - thewhitetulip 10y ago
    Why the downvote? Isn't this related to the topic??
- tluyben2 10y ago
  It happened to me but I thought (and still think), because they keep moving buttons on mobile and keep adding screens and questions etc, that I probably and unfortunately, rammed on the wrong button giving consent. And then didn't notice it until behind my desktop browser. It's definitely too easy to accidentally do to think it's some browser hack; that is what I think.
- oneloop 10y ago
  What happened to you exactly? You got tricked by linkedin to giving it access to your contacts (which is understandable, linkedin is known for its dark patterns)? Or it happened to you that linkedin magically accessed your contacts even though you never gave it oauth access to your contacts?
fulafel 10y ago
Bugs are possible and even common.
- oneloop 10y ago
  Google has an impeccable track record when it comes to security, at least as far as I'm aware.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
amelius 10y ago
It didn't happen that way. See the comment by ikeboy.
losvedir 10y ago
Right?! If one site can access content in another site's tab we've got bigger issues here...
JoBrad 10y ago
Even technical people can fall prey to social engineering, which LinkedIn has very heavily engaged in to get as much access to your network as possible.

by oneloop 10y ago

afandian 10y ago

I'm technical. It happened to me. I'd be the first to call bullshit on myself, but it happened and I honestly don't know how they did it.

thewhitetulip 10y ago
I have had facebook recommend me people with whom I have communicated via Gmail and Github only
- tristanj 10y ago
  I've had this happen before too. Quite likely the other person searched your name on Facebook and clicked your profile but didn't send a friend request. Facebook thought you two might know each other, hence they suggested a friend request.
  - thewhitetulip 10y ago
    I do not think he would have searched for my name, we had exchanged a few emails for working on an open source project, to which, he had said that he was too busy :-D
  - dkersten 10y ago
    I've had a fake gmail account that I was using to reply to scammers show up on linkedin. I've had old old old hotmail addresses (which I didn't delete from my contact list and at some point imported into gmail, back when gmail was new) show up on linkedin. I've never used their apps or otherwise connected my gmail. Yes, its possible that they tricked me somehow using some dark pattern, but there is no legitimate way they could have added these "people" to my list.
    - jrockway 10y ago
      Why isn't it possible that the scammers you replied to told LinkedIn your email address (probably through an automated contact list upload)?
      - dkersten 10y ago
        Its possible. I'd say its very unlikely though. But that doesn't explain old no-longer-existing hotmail addresses. My point is that there are many cases which are incredibly unlikely to have gotten into linkedin's database legitimately. I mean, sure, it could have very well been that they tricked me somehow. Likely in fact (more likely than them knowing some kind of cross site scripting vulnerability in gmail). But in my opinion that is just as illegitimate scum tactics as hacking my inbox and IMHO should be illegal. I do know that I did NOT authorise this action, whatever it may be.
- DavideNL 10y ago
  that's obviously possible: If the other person adds you to their phone address book, and opens his Facebook app which uploads his contacts to FB, FB will know you are "friends" and recommend it to you.
  - thewhitetulip 10y ago
    Yes, seems like a logical conclusion :)
- wj 10y ago
  Maybe the other person let LinkedIn/Facebook access their contacts and then the service sees they haven't reached out to you so it checks if you want to reach out to them.
  - thewhitetulip 10y ago
    This would be a more logical answer :D Maybe their gmail is in sync with contacts in some weird way and that is in sync with facebook. But it was so spooky that I started using facebook strictly in incognito mode.
- oops 10y ago
  Did you use the same Wi-Fi network as those people at some point? Maybe it's something like that. My throwaway account at work is always being recommended someone that once visited my home and used the Wi-Fi, and to whom I have no other connection.
  - thewhitetulip 10y ago
    Nope, that guy lives a million miles away.
- thewhitetulip 10y ago
  Why the downvote? Isn't this related to the topic??
tluyben2 10y ago
It happened to me but I thought (and still think), because they keep moving buttons on mobile and keep adding screens and questions etc, that I probably and unfortunately, rammed on the wrong button giving consent. And then didn't notice it until behind my desktop browser. It's definitely too easy to accidentally do to think it's some browser hack; that is what I think.
oneloop 10y ago
What happened to you exactly? You got tricked by linkedin to giving it access to your contacts (which is understandable, linkedin is known for its dark patterns)? Or it happened to you that linkedin magically accessed your contacts even though you never gave it oauth access to your contacts?

fulafel 10y ago

Bugs are possible and even common.

oneloop 10y ago
Google has an impeccable track record when it comes to security, at least as far as I'm aware.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]

amelius 10y ago

It didn't happen that way. See the comment by ikeboy.

losvedir 10y ago

Right?! If one site can access content in another site's tab we've got bigger issues here...

JoBrad 10y ago

Even technical people can fall prey to social engineering, which LinkedIn has very heavily engaged in to get as much access to your network as possible.