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Uber reveals cover-up of hack affecting 57M riders, drivers

Posted at 4:39 PM, Nov 21, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-21 20:59:32-05

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Uber is coming clean about its cover-up of a year-old hacking attack that stole personal information about more than 57 million of the beleaguered ride-hailing service's customers and drivers.

The revelation Tuesday marks the latest stain on Uber's reputation.

The San Francisco company ousted Travis Kalanick as CEO in June after an internal investigation concluded he had built a culture that allowed female workers to be sexually harassed and encouraged employees to push legal limits.

Uber's current CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, criticized the company's handling of the data theft in a blog post that said there's no evidence the stolen information has been misused. He said later Tuesday that the company's chief security officer was fired for keeping the breach secret, according to NPR.

The heist took the names, email addresses and phone numbers of 57 million riders. The thieves also nabbed the driver's license numbers of 600,000 Uber drivers.