- A post on BreachForums says that “UberLeak,” the hacker responsible for the current data breach at Uber, was “hacked by autistic fisherman Arion and scammed all LAPSUS$ members.”
- Despite not including any user information, the stolen data did contain information on 77,000 Uber staff.
- Uber faced one of the most notorious data breaches in 2016.
- In October, Joe Sullivan, a former chief security officer for Uber, was found guilty of “misprision” and obstructing the course of justice.
It appears that Uber has experienced another data breach, and the stolen information was shared on BreachForums, a website that has taken the place of RaidForums.
According to a post on BreachForums, the hacker behind the recent data breach of Uber is known as “UberLeak” and claims to have been “hacked by autistic fisherman Arion and scammed all LAPSUS$ members.” LAPSUS$ is a notorious hacking group, but there is no evidence to suggest that they were involved in this particular breach. The post on BreachForums is the only indication of a link to the group.
Data breach hits Uber once again
According to reports, the data stolen in the recent breach of Uber included multiple archives claiming to be the source code for the mobile device management platforms used by the company, its food delivery service Uber Eats, and third-party vendors. Although no user information was found in the stolen data, the data did include the details of 77,000 Uber employees. The stolen data did not include any internal code or corporate data for Uber.
“Given that the data is now publicly accessible, as opposed to being sold to a single party, anyone could use it to launch targeted phishing attacks against Uber employees. These attacks could trick Uber staff into giving up login credentials, leading to further, more consequential attacks. Even if only a handful of employees out of the 77,000 affected were to fall victim to a phishing scam, it could be detrimental to Uber and its customers,” stated Paul Bischoff, privacy advocate at tech research site Comparitech Ltd., told SiliconANGLE.
The “files are related to an incident at a third-party vendor and are unrelated to our security incident in September,” an Uber official told Bleeping Computer. When the security breach occurred in September, it was stated that a hacker broke into internal networks and left messages indicating that they had acquired crucial data.
Teqtivity Inc., a provider of IT asset management software, issued a security alert. The company’s Amazon Web Services Inc. backup server, which contained Teqtivity code and client data files, was breached once more, according to the breach notification statement.
This is not the first time Uber experiencing a hack incident
It is unclear how many times Uber has been hacked or experienced data breaches in the past. However, it is not surprising that the company has once again been targeted by hackers. Many companies have been forced to shut down due to cybersecurity issues that are less severe than those that Uber has faced, yet the company seems to avoid serious consequences. It is as if Uber gets a “free pass” when it comes to its ongoing cybersecurity problems.
One of the most infamous data breaches experienced by Uber occurred in 2016. Although the theft of 57 million records containing personally identifiable information was significant, the incident is perhaps best remembered for the fact that former Uber Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan covered up the breach. Among the many data breaches that Uber has suffered, this one stands out as particularly noteworthy.
Joe Sullivan, Uber’s former Chief Security Officer, was found guilty of obstruction of justice and “misprision” (concealment of a felony) in October. At the time of his conviction, it was noted that Sullivan had previously been involved in responding to inquiries from the US Federal Trade Commission about Uber’s cybersecurity practices following an earlier breach in 2014.
“Unfortunately due to historical events, Uber will not only continue to be a target but will also be under a microscope when it comes to security incidents. If this is indeed data collected from a third party, it does serve to remind organizations that any time other parties have access to information, it can potentially be an issue,” explained Erich Kron, security awareness advocate at security awareness training company KnowBe4 Inc.
“Besides the high-profile breach that occurred three months ago that caused the company’s internal databases to be hacked, Uber also faced other significant attacks in the past, such as a massive data breach in 2016 that exposed the data of about 57 million customers and drivers. The failed protection of a third-party vendor in the most recent attack reveals that companies everywhere must better prioritize their cybersecurity measures,” told Stephan Chenette, co-founder and chief technology officer at AttackIQ Inc.
A man from Massachusetts sued Uber for $63 million in January 2022, alleging that the company hired a driver with a violent history who caused an accident that left the man paralyzed.
