These attackers are using our branding, employee names, and professional-looking profiles to approach software developers and candidates with fictitious job opportunities.
We are publishing this notice to protect candidates, our partners, and the wider developer community.
Fraudsters are creating convincing LinkedIn recruiter profiles and inviting candidates to interview for non-existent projects (for example, a “Decentralized Manga Marketplace”).
During a supposed “technical interview process,” candidates are asked to:
Access a GitHub or Bitbucket repository
Download or execute project files
Schedule a meeting via external links
Security analysis and community reports indicate that these repositories may contain malicious code designed to download and execute remote scripts on a user’s computer. This is a known malware delivery technique intended to compromise devices and potentially corporate networks.
This activity is not associated with Forte Group in any way.
Running unknown code from an untrusted repository can:
Install malware or spyware
Steal saved passwords and authentication tokens
Access SSH keys, developer credentials, and API keys
Compromise company VPN access
Spread into corporate infrastructure
Even experienced developers can be affected because the attackers are using targeted social engineering and realistic hiring workflows.
Please treat the interaction as suspicious if you notice any of the following:
Email communication from Gmail or other personal domains (example: name123@gmail.com)
Pressure to move conversations off LinkedIn quickly
Interviews conducted only through external scheduling links
Being asked to run or “test” code before meeting a company representative
Requests to download repositories as the first interview step
Projects described vaguely or confidentially without a client introduction
Recruiters unwilling to verify their identity
To help you verify authenticity, please note:
Communicate via official @fortegrp.com email addresses
Use legitimate LinkedIn profiles connected to real employees
Provide a clear introduction to the company and interview process
Do not require candidates to execute external code repositories before interviews
We will never ask a candidate to install unknown software or run unverified code as an initial screening step.
All legitimate Forte Group recruiters display a verified “Forte Group Employee” badge on LinkedIn. If you do not see this verification badge, please treat the profile as suspicious and report it to us immediately.
If you are contacted by someone claiming to represent Forte Group:
Do NOT
Click repository links
Download or execute code
Share personal information
Attempt to investigate the person yourself
Instead
Take a screenshot of the message or profile
Copy the LinkedIn profile URL
Send it to our Security Team
📩 security@fortegrp.com
Your report helps us protect other developers and enables us to report malicious actors to LinkedIn and relevant authorities.
If you downloaded or ran any files from a suspicious repository:
Immediately:
Disconnect your device from the internet
Run a full antivirus/endpoint security scan
Change passwords (email, GitHub, Bitbucket, VPN, SSH keys)
Revoke active sessions and API tokens
Contact your company’s IT/security department (if this was a work device)
Then email security@fortegrp.com so we can assist and document the incident.
Forte Group takes the security and trust of candidates, employees, and partners seriously. We are actively reporting fraudulent accounts and working with platform security teams to remove them.
We appreciate the vigilance of the developer community in helping prevent further abuse of our name and protecting others from harm.
If you want to confirm whether a recruiter or job opportunity is legitimate, contact:
security@fortegrp.com
Let’s talk about your goals and explore how Forte Group can help you turn complex technology challenges into measurable outcomes.s.
