On the 15th of September, a young hacker, claiming to be only 18 years old, managed to breach Uber’s computer network. Within the system, the hacker took things further by posting explicit images and messages on Uber’s Slack platform, prompting the ride-hailing company to take the drastic step of shutting down its systems to prevent further damage.
Employees at Uber encountered difficulties during this breach as they found themselves unable to perform basic tasks on their computers. One employee shared that whenever he tried to access a page, he would either be redirected to an inappropriate website or faced with a message containing offensive language.
After the breach was discovered, Uber instructed its staff not to use their systems. However, the hacker continued to send messages via Slack, announcing the data breach and claiming to have stolen confidential information from various platforms used by the company. The hacker concluded the message with the hashtag #uberunderpaisdrives.
Fortunately, the attack was confined to Uber’s internal systems and did not impact the company’s fleet of vehicles or logistical operations. Nonetheless, the breach provided the hacker with full control over critical Uber information, including access to Amazon and Google cloud environments where sensitive data is stored.
Security expert Sam Curry described the breach as a significant compromise, highlighting the hacker’s access to Uber’s source code and customer information. Further investigation revealed that the hacker gained entry into the system by tricking an employee into providing their password under false pretenses.
In response to the incident, Uber issued a statement on Twitter, acknowledging the cybersecurity breach and confirming their cooperation with law enforcement in handling the situation.
Image Source: Lutsenko_Oleksandr / Shutterstock
