Uber Suffered Data Breach Last Year But Only Disclosed It Now, 57 Million Users Affected

In the wake of so many major data breaches suffered by tech firms of late, it’s hardly a surprise that Uber was also targeted. However, in the case of the cab-hailing company, the breach actually happened last year but only now is it being disclosed. The hack also affected up to 57 million accounts. The company has since fired its security chief.

This new revelation about a cover-up by Uber regarding a massive data breach only adds to the company’s woes. It doesn’t even matter that its chief of security, Joe Sullivan was apparently responsible for keeping the matter under wraps. This still serves as a black eye to the tech giant. As to what was compromised by the attack, they include names, email addresses, and phone numbers, the New York Times reports.

It would also seem that following the breach, a couple of hackers demanded ransom payment from Uber to the tune of $100,000, which the company doled out. The incident remained hidden until an investigation by the company’s board started uncovering clues that eventually brought the truth to light. The decision to make the breach public was made by the company’s current chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi.

In a blog post, Khosrowshahi provided details on the breach and explained why he decided to take action. He also used it as an opportunity to establish himself as a different kind of leader compared to former CEO Travis Kalanick.

“None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it. While I can’t erase the past, I can commit on behalf of every Uber employee that we will learn from our mistakes. We are changing the way we do business, putting integrity at the core of every decision we make and working hard to earn the trust of our customers,” the post reads.