Uber released a statement on Friday announcing that it suffered a data breach in 2014 that affected 50 000 Uber drivers across the United States. The Uber’s database was accessed by an unauthorized third party. Uber says that 50 000 driver partner names and driver’s license numbers were contained in the database at that moment.
Right after discovering the breach that happened in May 13 2014, Uber development team changed the access protocols for the database, removing the possibility of unauthorized access.
Uber is seriously when it comes to safeguard personal information. That’s why they filed a lawsuit that will enable them to gather information to help identify and prosecute that unauthorized party.
According to Katherine Tassi, Uber’s Managing Counsel of Data Privacy, here’s what Uber know at this moment:
- On September 17, 2014, we discovered that one of our databases could potentially have been accessed by a third party.
- Upon discovery we immediately changed the access protocols for the database and began an in-depth investigation.
- Our investigation revealed that a one-time unauthorized access to an Uber database by a third party had occurred on May 13, 2014.
- Our investigation determined the unauthorized access impacted approximately 50,000 drivers across multiple states, which is a small percentage of current and former Uber driver partners.
- The files that were accessed contained only the name and driver’s license number of some driver partners.
- To date, we have not received any reports of actual misuse of any information as a result of this incident, but we are notifying impacted drivers and recommend these individuals monitor their credit reports for fraudulent transactions or accounts.
- Uber will provide a free one-year membership of Experian’s® ProtectMyID® Alert. If impacted driver partners have questions or need an alternative to enrolling online, please call (877) 297-7780 and provide the Engagement number listed in the notification letter.
- We have also filed what is referred to as a “John Doe” lawsuit so that we are able to gather information that may lead to confirmation of the identity of the third party.
You can find Uber’s statement regarding this data breach here.
