It was reported recently that Uber discovered that it suffered a major data breach in 2016. Not only that, the company reportedly tried to sweep the matter under the rug. Uber has now started to reveal more information about what happened. It’s believed that more than 57 million Uber users were affected globally. The company has revealed that more than 2.7 million users and drivers in the United Kingdom were impacted by this breach.
Their personal information was compromised in the data breach. It left their names, email addresses, and mobile phone numbers exposed.
Uber says that the 2.7 million figure is an approximation because some users might disclose a different location to the one where they actually live. Nevertheless, there’s no denying the fact that quite a lot of people have been impacted by this breach.
Uber hired third-party forensic experts to look into the matter. It’s of the view that credit card numbers, trip location histories, bank account numbers, and dates of birth were not compromised in the breach.
The Information Commissioner’s Office of the UK has already launched an investigation into the matter, saying that it has “huge concerns” about Uber’s data practices and its decision not to disclose the breach.
“We have seen no evidence of fraud or misuse tied to the incident,” Uber said in a statement. It’s monitoring the affected accounts and has flagged them for additional fraud protection.