Uber Hack Involves U.K. Data, Government to Publish Report
Hackers stole personal data of 57 million individuals from Uber.
(Bloomberg) -- The data breach at Uber Technologies Inc. disclosed this week includes information on British users, a U.K. lawmaker said Thursday, adding that the government is set to publish a report into the scale of the attack in the coming days.
Hackers stole the personal data of 57 million customers and drivers from Uber, a breach that the company concealed for more than a year.
Digital Minister Matt Hancock said it was still unclear how many British users were affected, but added he will reveal the extent of the attack when the government has received "sufficient answers" from Uber.
Bloomberg first reported that Uber paid hackers $100,000 to keep the hack under wraps.
The attack did not originate in the U.K., Hancock added, but did not rule out further action.
The U.K. government discovered the incident had taken place only after it was revealed by media reports on Tuesday, and it has since held talks with Dutch and U.S. authorities, Hancock said.
He said there was "a very high chance" the way Uber revealed the breach was "illegal under U.K. law," with any legal action being a matter for the British courts.
To contact the reporter on this story: Giles Turner in London at gturner35@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net, Nate Lanxon, Kim Robert McLaughlin
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