The year 2017 isn’t a good one for ride sharing giant Uber. First came sexual harassment scandals. But now, there could be an Uber data breach, and a big one. So did somebody hack Uber? That’s the last thing Uber needs.
Numerous news media claim Uber execs hid a data breach. Furthermore, Uber confirms this. Also, they paid the hackers $100,000 in hush money, according to some reports. This happened in October 2016. They say the hackers could have compromised over 57 million accounts worldwide. This includes over 600,000 Uber drivers globally. This info could include credit card numbers, Social security numbers, and birth dates. However, there are no reports of outright theft due to this.
Dana?Khosrowshahi, the new Uber CEO, assured the public they did swift and accurate action to shut down the breach. Dana K. insisted he knew nothing about the security breach. His company also states that uber riders are in no danger, so they don’t need to take action. But what about the Uber drivers? Uber promises emails and letters to warn those drivers who were affected or may be in jeopardy. Uber also offers drivers free credit monitoring and security protection if they need it. But now, even the NY State Attorney General’s Office is investigating.
The only good news is that no theft occurred…yet. And for any IT service based company, that is huge good news! But what troubles me is why did it take Uber, a trusted ride share company, 13 months to tell people. Well, they asked former CEO Travis Kalanik the same thing. Some speculate he knew something, but he declines to comment. That’s just the thing. How did the hackers get $100,000 in hush money. That doesn’t sit right with me, or anybody else in computer repair. And if Kalanik didn’t know anything, then who authorized the payout? And nobody told us why it took them 13 months to make this public. If Uber were my company, I would sound the alarm right away (and in their own way, they kinda did). Did somebody Hack Uber? If so, then who?
We at Computer Geeks want to wish you all a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday.