Uber Data Breach Covered up for Over a Year
Bloomberg dropped a bombshell from the largest ride-sharing company in the world. They were informed by Uber that Uber had been hacked over a year ago and kept it under wraps. They even paid the hackers $100,000 to keep quiet and delete the stolen info. Uber was required by law to report the breach as soon as it occurred and still failed to do so.
What Information Was Accessed?
The hackers had access to names, email addresses, and telephone numbers on 50 Million customers and 7 million drivers. They also had access to drivers license numbers for 600,000 customers, which is the worst part.
Uber claims that no Social Security numbers, credit card information, or trip location details were accessed. That is something I guess.
Conclusion
These hacks are becoming more and more common. And for a company to keep it under wraps, similar to the Equifax hack, is inexcusable.
It does sound like the new CEO of Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi who took over in September, seems to have been the driving force in coming forward with the information. This incident also lead to the chief security officer and one of his deputies being fired this week.
Hopefully Uber can change it’s ways and become a more upstanding company with new management in charge. I recommend reading the full article by Bloomberg it is an interesting read with a lot of great details on the whole ordeal.
Will this information stop you from using Uber in the future?
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I’m in Pittsburgh and live in a neighborhood with a decent chance of getting a self-driving Uber (Free!!).
I use Lyft if I use a ride-share. Maybe I’ll go back to Uber if the new CEO makes even more changes. Admitting the breach and firing people involved in the cover-up is a start. I really want to ride in one of the self-driving cars. 😉
I am still nervous about self driving lol. It would be pretty cool though!
It’s cases like this, along with the recent Equifax and Yahoo, 2014 EBay and JP Morgan and so many more data breaches that makes we think we need Class Action Lawsuits to financially penalize these companies that profit from our uses as consumers.
Only then when their very survival depends on preventing, not to mention reporting, these attacks will sufficient preventative actions be taken.
Regardless, it seems to go without saying that whatever one man designs and builds another can destroy. Information stored ‘in the cloud’ sits there out in the open 31,536,000 seconds each year giving determined hackers (private or government-sponsored) a constant and enticing target.
Just the tip of the iceberg going forward in the digital age.
Our biggest concern should be for the world’s economy when one hack eventually cripples or manipulates a stock market and the buy/sell arbitrage algorithms built into the investment houses’ computers react quicker than the speed of human thought and reaction.
Agree 100%! The more our technology advances and makes life easier the more we become vulnerable imo. It is a fine line. There will always be someone out there better who can get through if they want to which is a scary thought.
I am honestly surprised something major hasn’t happened with the stock exchange yet.