Uber HACKED as firm says personal information of 57MILLION customers is at risk

It is said to include names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers of users around the globe – amid claims Uber knew about the breach a year ago

Uber has revealed hackers have downloaded personal information of 57 MILLION of its customers worldwide.

Details of the leak are just emerging, but the information they have obtained is said to include names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers of users around the globe.

It’s also being claimed tonight that the taxi firm concealed the breach – which is said to have taken place in 2016.

According to Bloomberg, the company’s former chief executive Travis Kalanick knew about the breach a YEAR ago thsi month.

It alleges that the hackers demanded money from Uber in exchange for the data to be deleted – which is yet to be confirmed.

This week the chief security officer Joe Sullivan and one of his deputies left his job, it’s emerged.

There is no news yet as to who is behind the massive theft of data.

The personal information of around 7million drivers – including around 600,000 drivers in the US – is also known to have been stolen, including their names and driver licence details.

In an emailed statement, Uber’s chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi, who took over in September, said: ““None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it.

“We are changing the way we do business.”

He also insisted: “While we have not seen evidence of fraud or misuse tied to the incident, we are monitoring the affected accounts and have flagged them for additional fraud protection.”

In a statement on their website Uber admitted: “In October 2016, Uber experienced a data security incident that resulted in a breach of information related to rider and driver accounts.

“Rider information included the names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers related to accounts globally.

“Our outside forensics experts have not seen any indication that trip location history, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, Social Security numbers or dates of birth were downloaded.

“When this happened, we took immediate steps to secure the data, shut down further unauthorized access, and strengthen our data security.

“We do not believe any individual rider needs to take any action. We have seen no evidence of fraud or misuse tied to the incident. We are monitoring the affected accounts and have flagged them for additional fraud protection.

“We encourage all our users to regularly monitor their credit and accounts, including their Uber account, for any issues. Please let us know via the Help Center if you see anything unexpected or unusual related to your Uber account

“You can do this by tapping “Help” in your app, then “Account and Payment Options” > “I have an unknown charge” > “I think my account has been hacked”.”

The hack is the latest in a long line of top name brands to have been targetted in recent years – including Yahoo and Equifax.