Professional skills leaked: what it means and what to do
Risk level: low. Can you change it: yes. Found in 2 breaches in this directory.
What this data is
The skills, certifications, tools and specialisms listed on a resume, job board or professional networking profile.
The risk on its own
Skills are low risk and are usually meant to be seen by employers. They cannot be used to log in or borrow money. The leak mainly adds your skills to lists sold to recruiters and marketers.
The risk combined with other data
With your name, email address and employer, skills tell scammers which fake job offer will appeal to you. Technical skills also flag you as someone with access to systems, code or cloud accounts worth targeting. That combination supports convincing recruitment phishing.
How criminals use it
A fake recruiter offers a well paid remote role matching your skills and asks for ID and bank details.
A developer receives a fake technical test that installs malware on their computer.
A skills list showing access to finance or cloud systems makes you the target for workplace phishing.
What to do now
Verify recruiters by checking the company's official careers page and contacting them through it.
Never run test files or install software from a recruiter before verifying who they are.
Never pay for training, equipment or background checks to get a job.
Limit who can see your contact details on LinkedIn and job boards.
Frequently asked questions
Is it bad that my skills leaked?
Not really. Skills are designed to be seen. The risk is fake recruiters using them to make scam offers look tailored.
How can I spot a fake job offer?
Warning signs include unusually high pay, instant offers without interviews, chat only communication and requests for money or ID early on.
Should I remove skills from my profile?
Keep the skills you need for your career, but hide contact details and your full employment history if you do not want them public.
Breaches that exposed this data
LinkedIn Scraped and Faked Data (2023): 2023-11-04, 20M accounts, Email addresses, Genders, Geographic locations, Job titles, Names, Professional skills
GeekedIn: 2016-08-15, 1.1M accounts, Email addresses, Geographic locations, Names, Professional skills, Usernames, Years of professional experience
Breach data sourced from Have I Been Pwned, used under CC BY 4.0. Additional breach metadata provided by XposedOrNot. DataExposed is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either.