• Uber system hacked? Cyber security incident investigation is underway by the company

    Sci & Tech
    Uber system hacked? Cyber security incident investigation is underway by the company

    Uber has reported that it
    is investigating a cyber security issue and has also notified law enforcement.



    Digital Desk: Uber is on high alert after a
    hacker claimed to have discovered a data breach at the ride- hiring company.
    The company has reported that it is investigating a cyber security incident and
    has also notified law enforcement. 

    According to reports, the alleged breach
    forced Uber to shut down several internal communications and engineering
    systems.



    A cybercriminal allegedly hacked into an Uber
    employee's Slack app, a workplace messaging app. The hacker then used his
    account to notify other Uber employees that the company's systems had been
    compromised. The hacker was able to not only send messages to employees but
    also gain access to other internal company systems.



    He explicitly posted a screenshot of an internal
    employee information page. "I declare that I am a hacker, and Uber has had
    a data breach. Slack has been kidnapped." On Slack, the hacker wrote.



    Uber acknowledged the data breach and said it is
    being investigated. "We are in contact with law enforcement and will post
    additional updates here as they become available," the company said in a
    tweet.



    According to the hacker, he sent a message to an
    Uber employee posing as a corporate information technology officer. The hacker
    duped the employee into sharing his password, and the employee fell for it. The
    hacker revealed that he is only 18 years old and has spent years honing his
    cyber security skills.



    In an email obtained by The New York Times,
    Uber's chief information security officer, Latha Maripuri, wrote to employees:
    "We don't have an estimate right now as to when full access to tools will
    be restored, so please bear with us."



    On Thursday afternoon, the workplace messaging
    app Slack was taken offline after Uber employees received a message from the
    hacker. Uber employees were strictly forbidden from using the messaging app.
    Other internet systems, in addition to Slack, were unavailable to users.



    According to the hacker, he sent a message to an
    Uber employee posing as a corporate information technology officer. The hacker
    duped the employee into sharing his password, and the employee fell for it. The
    hacker revealed that he is only 18 years old and has spent years honing his
    cyber security skills.



    In an email obtained by The New York Times,
    Uber's chief information security officer, Latha Maripuri, wrote to employees:
    "We don't have an estimate right now as to when full access to tools will
    be restored, so please bear with us."