Uber paid hackers ransom to hush up security breach
Uber has come under fire in the UK after admitting that it hushed up a security breach that exposed the details of 57 million customers and drivers.
The taxi app didn’t report the breach and paid a $100,000 ransom to the hackers to delete the data, which included the names, email addresses and phone numbers, but not credit card numbers or trip details.
The breach, which happened last year, only came to light when new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi came clean.
As a result of the cover up, chief security officer Joe Sullivan and another executive have been ousted, Bloomberg reports.
The UK’s deputy information commission James Dipple-Johnson has described Uber’s actions as ‘unacceptable’.
The company has now launched a resource page for those who might have been affected.
"It’s always the company’s responsibility to identify when UK citizens have been affected as part of a data breach and take steps to reduce any harm to consumers," said Dipple-Johnson.
"Deliberately concealing breaches from regulators and citizens could attract higher fines for companies.
"If UK citizens were affected, then we should have been notified so that we could assess and verify the impact on people whose data was exposed."
The Information Commissioner’s Officer and National Cyber Security Centre will work together to determine the scale of the breach and how it affected people in the UK, as well considering the next steps that Uber needs to take to comply with its data protection obligations.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Airbnb eyes a loyalty program but details remain under wraps