Uber Suffer Security Breach, Then Fails to Properly Inform
Uber has found themselves in serious trouble, after officials found the company suffered a security breach last year and went to great lengths to cover it up. Instead of properly informing the 57 million customers and drivers the breach impacted, the chief security officer paid the hackers $100,000 to delete the stolen information.
Beyond failing to disclose the breach, paying the hackers is a major mistake. First, the company has no way to know if the information was indeed deleted. Second, there are minimal ways to know if the information was sold on the dark web.
Because of this security breach, Uber customers and drivers are now facing an additional threat. Hackers will likely begin using the email accounts associated with the breach to distribute phishing scams. According to KnowBe4, these emails will likely be scripted like some notification email informing breach victims their accounts have been hacked.
If you are an Uber customer, it is encouraged you take the following steps:
- Access the Uber app and change your login credentials.
- If you used the same password for alternative accounts, change those passwords as well.
- Be on the lookout for malicious emails. They may look like they’re from Uber, or they may look like they’re from other businesses. Be wary when clicking on emails, links, and attachments. If you’re not expecting the email or don’t know the sender, delete the email.
