Uber Hack – Ride-hailing Giant Investigating Large-Scale Data Breach.

 

Uber Inc. is investigating a cybersecurity incident where a hacker claimed to have breached its internal network and took down multiple engineering and communications systems. Initially discussed on social media the incident affected Uber’s internal Slack messaging, which was shut down after a cybersecurity breach and compromised the company’s data.

What Happened?

Reportedly, on Thursday, Uber employees received a Slack message from someone claiming to be a hacker. The attacker also urged that the company increase its drivers’ pay.

“I announce I am a hacker and Uber has suffered a data breach,” the message read.

For your information, Uber uses Slack for its internal communications system.

After accessing one of the company’s staff member’s Slack accounts, the hacker could compromise Uber’s internal databases, after which they posted an explicit photo on the company’s internal information page for its employees after getting control of its internal systems.

The breach was discovered shortly after, and resultantly, Uber’s IT security team took most of its internal engineering and communications systems offline. An investigation into the incident was also promptly launched.

Data Breach Details.

The unknown hacker claims to have stolen Uber’s exclusive data and shared images of cloud storage, email, and code repositories with cybersecurity experts. As per Yuga Labs security engineer Sam Curry, the hacker seems to have gained full access to Uber’s internal computer systems and carried out a “total compromise.

Meanwhile, Uber has instructed its employees to avoid using Slack, whereas its other internal systems are also inaccessible. Curry also shared a message apparently from an Uber employee which unofficially confirms the breach.

From another Uber employee:

Instead of doing anything, a good portion of the staff was interacting and mocking the hacker thinking someone was playing a joke. After being told to stop going on slack, people kept going on for the jokes.

According to malware analysis platform vx-underground on Twitter, additional screenshots leaked by the threat actor show they allegedly have access to Uber’s AWS instance, vSphere, Google workplace, HackerOne administration panel, and several other platforms used by the San Francisco, California-based ride-hailing giant.

 

Social Engineering at Work.

 According to the New York Times, the hacker used social engineering tactics to infiltrate Uber’s communications system. He sent a text message to a worker at Uber claiming to be a corporate information technology personnel and persuaded the employee to hand over their Slack password.

Afterward, accessing Uber’s systems was pretty easy. The hacker claims that he is eighteen years old and was able to breach the ride-hailing company’s systems because of weak security.