Uber account hacked! the popular drive share company, experienced a data breach that affected 57 million customers and drivers. Along with the names and driver license numbers of 600,000 Uber drivers, personal information like names, email addresses, and mobile phone numbers were also stolen from customers. The cybersecurity company that investigated the Uber hack, assured customers that they could not find any evidence that any dates of birth, credit card numbers, location or trip history, bank account information, or social security numbers were breached.
The most shocking part of this story is that Uber discovered the breach but did not report it (which is against federal law) until a year later. Additionally, they actually paid the hackers $100,000 to cover up the incident. Former CEO of Uber, Travis Kalanick, was at the helm during this time and resigned amongst the scuttlebutt over the incident and other unethical practices.
When Was The Uber Account Hacked?
The Uber hack took place in 2016 but was not reported until 2017. As part of the cover-up, hackers assured Uber that the stolen data was deleted. The FBI and third-party security experts found and apprehended the two hackers, Vasile Mereacre, from Canada and Brandon Glover from Florida. The two were also caught and indicted for stealing from the learning platform Lynda.
How to Check if Your Victim of Uber Data Breach
Uber has set up a website to help victims of the data breach discover if their data was among those affected. Although no financial information was taken, personal details were stolen, and users are urged to keep their eyes open for phishing emails or other scams related to the event.
What to Do if Your Data Was Breached
Security experts advise that anyone who was affected should change their online passwords for Uber accounts and credit cards linked to Uber accounts. Monitor your credit card and bank statements to look for any suspicious activity and watch out for Uber-related scams.
Are There Any Lawsuits on Uber Technologies Inc.?
There is a major class-action lawsuit in which Uber has agreed to pay victims a total of $148 million. You can make a claim for damages incurred because of this event. The main focus of this lawsuit is more than just exposing customer data to hackers; it is also about the cover-up factor.
Can My Stolen Uber Information be Used for Identity Theft?
The information that was taken in the Uber security breach was minimal but enough for hackers to use in exploitive phishing scams and identity theft. When perpetrators get a list of customers, they can use that to design a real-looking email and then trick recipients into clicking a link or downloading some attachment, which then infects their computer with a virus or malware. The software then gives the hacker control of that person’s machine, and from there, the sky is the limit as to what they can steal.
What to Do to Protect Yourself Against Future Hacks
The best way to protect yourself against hacks and data breaches is control who gets your information. Some other tips would be:
- Never share logins or passwords with anyone.
- Change your passwords frequently and make them stronger by using complex combinations of letters, numbers, and symbols.
- Invest in a credit monitoring service like IDStrong.com and check your credit report often to look for any discrepancies.
- Review bank and credit card statements every month to check for suspicious activity.
- Always keep your antivirus software updated and run weekly scans.
