Uber: hackers behind 2016 data leak are located in Canada and Florida

According to Reuters on February 7, Uber executives told the U.S. Congress on Tuesday that two hackers who stole the company’s data in 2016 were located in Canada and Florida at the time.

In a written testimony sent to the U.S. Senate by Uber CTO John Flynn, about 25 million victims of data theft were located in the United States, of whom 4.1 million were drivers.

Uber disclosed in November last year that the stolen data involved a total of 57 million users worldwide, but it was about a year after the incident.

It was reported in December last year that the hacker at the time was a 20-year-old man who demanded the destruction of stolen data after Uber paid him a fee through a “loophole reward” project. But the project was originally set up for researchers who spotted security breaches and reported businesses promptly.

Flynn confirmed that the man who stole Uber’s data was in Florida, and his associates first contacted the company on November 14, 2016, asking for a six-figure ransom, based in Canada.

Flynn said the Uber security team contacted the two and received a “guarantee” that the data had been destroyed, before paying $ 100,000. Informed sources last December revealed that the company conducted a forensic analysis of the above computer in Florida hackers to determine the data has been deleted.

Canadian police spokesman has not commented. Flynn said Uber made a mistake, including being unable to pay hackers through a “loophole reward” project.

Both houses of the U.S. have warned Uber of a delay in disclosing the matter. This stolen data includes name, phone number email address, but does not include social security number and credit card information. The driver’s license number of 600,000 drivers was also stolen.