When people think about cyberattacks, they often imagine hackers using advanced tools to break through firewalls or exploit software vulnerabilities.
But in many cases, hackers don’t need to “hack” anything at all.
Sometimes, they simply use Google and LinkedIn.
The reality is that cybercriminals often begin by gathering publicly available information about your business, employees, vendors, and leadership team. The more they know, the easier it becomes to launch convincing and highly targeted attacks.
Let’s take a closer look at how hackers use everyday platforms like Google and LinkedIn to target businesses—and what you can do to protect yourself.
Why Public Information Matters
Every business leaves a digital footprint.
Your website, social media profiles, employee bios, job postings, press releases, and business directories all contain information. Individually, these details may seem harmless.
But to a cybercriminal, they’re valuable puzzle pieces.
Attackers use public information to answer questions like:
- Who works at the company?
- Who handles finance or payroll?
- Who manages IT?
- Who approves payments?
- Which software or vendors does the company use?
- What technologies are mentioned publicly?
The more they learn, the easier it is to craft an attack that feels legitimate.
How Hackers Use Google
Google is one of the easiest reconnaissance tools available.
A few targeted searches can reveal surprising details about a business.
Hackers may search for:
- Employee names and email addresses
- Vendor relationships
- Public documents
- Login portals
- Old data leaks
- Technology stack details
Sometimes businesses unintentionally expose sensitive information through searchable documents or misconfigured cloud storage.
Even something as simple as a PDF posted online can reveal:
- Internal contact information
- Network naming conventions
- Software platforms
- Business processes
Attackers pay attention to all of it.
LinkedIn: A Goldmine for Social Engineering
LinkedIn may be even more valuable to attackers than Google.
Why?
Because employees willingly publish highly detailed information about themselves and their roles.
A typical LinkedIn profile may reveal:
- Job title
- Department
- Responsibilities
- Reporting structure
- Technologies used
- Work history
- Manager relationships
To a hacker, that’s incredibly useful.
For example, an attacker can easily identify:
- The CFO
- The payroll manager
- The office administrator
- IT staff
- Executives
Now they know exactly who to target.
How This Leads to Phishing Attacks
Once attackers gather enough information, they launch targeted phishing attacks—also known as spear phishing.
These emails are much more convincing than generic spam.
Instead of a random phishing message, an employee might receive something like:
“Hi Sarah,
I’m following up on the invoice from your vendor ABC Supplies. Can you review this before the CFO signs off?”
Why is this effective?
Because the attacker already knows:
- Sarah works in accounting
- The company uses ABC Supplies
- The CFO approves payments
This isn’t guesswork—it’s intelligence gathering.
Business Email Compromise Gets Easier
Public information also fuels Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks.
An attacker may impersonate:
- The CEO
- A vendor
- A payroll contact
- A trusted partner
They often create urgency:
- “I need this wire sent immediately.”
- “We changed banking details.”
- “Handle this confidentially.”
Because the attacker understands company structure and communication patterns, the request feels believable.
Job Postings Can Reveal Too Much
Even hiring pages can help attackers.
Job postings often mention technologies like:
- Microsoft 365
- Azure
- QuickBooks
- Salesforce
- Cisco
- VPN platforms
- Security tools
This tells attackers exactly what technologies your business relies on.
That helps them craft more convincing phishing emails or identify potential attack paths.
How to Reduce Your Risk
You don’t need to disappear from the internet—but you should be intentional about what you share.
Here are a few best practices:
Limit Oversharing
Review:
- Employee bios
- Public org charts
- Social media posts
- Job descriptions
Ask yourself:
Would this information help an attacker?
Train Employees on Social Engineering
Employees should understand that attackers often research them before reaching out.
Train your team to question:
- Unexpected requests
- Urgent payment demands
- Requests involving credentials or MFA codes
Protect Email with MFA
Even if attackers know your organization well, MFA makes account compromise much harder.
This is especially important for:
- Microsoft 365 accounts
- Finance staff
- Executives
- IT administrators
Use Advanced Email Security
Modern email protection helps detect:
- Impersonation attacks
- Domain spoofing
- Suspicious links
- Phishing attempts
These tools can stop attacks before employees ever see them.
The Bottom Line
Hackers don’t always need advanced malware or sophisticated exploits.
Sometimes all they need is a search engine and a LinkedIn account.
The more public information available about your business, the easier it becomes for attackers to build convincing phishing campaigns and social engineering attacks.
Awareness, training, and proactive security measures can dramatically reduce your risk.
Stay Protected with SandStorm IT
At SandStorm IT, we help businesses across the Mid-South defend against modern cyber threats—including the social engineering attacks that start with public information.
From Microsoft 365 security to phishing protection and employee training, we help ensure your business stays protected from attacks before they happen.
👉 Contact SandStorm IT today at 901-475-0275 to strengthen your cybersecurity and protect your business from evolving threats.