With logical strategy and an electronic gaming mentality as core principles to the criminal aspect of digital hacking, the average consumer is knowingly staring into the thievery based abyss of the future rabbit hole, where shards of data containing nuggets of personal information is awarded to the successful architect and winner of the high stakes competition involving a heist of epic proportions from online data banks and servers.
In the latest known chink in the armor of basic security protocol, Fox Business News reports that ride sharing giant Uber, can now claim a victim mentality, along with the recently disgraced Equifax, and an unnamed largest social networking community on the planet, for inadvertently and generously allowing the coding cowboys of discontent to access secure data. In other words, corporate security protocol was completely annihilated by a pair of hackers in successfully penetrating a firewall through a third- party cloud- based service and stealing the partial records of nearly 58 million users. If the breathtaking act of crime in 2016 is not enough to rival the level of corruption standards set by the International Olympic Committee in furnishing the whole Baltic region with millions in the wake of each Winter Games, a pair of equally innocuous Uber executives allegedly negotiated a settlement with the cyber jockeys to the tune of $100 thousand to completely delete the poached data. To add a cherry on top of the delightful chocolate paranoia sundae lacking in peanuts and accountability, the incident went completely unreported to authorities.
The company is now attempting to downplay the successful infiltration into customer and driver information by claiming that internal servers were not accessed and the two gentlemen involved in the cover up and dealings with the hackers were promptly terminated. The reality that the instance of corporate espionage was intentionally brushed under the rug, should have those who use the service, at a heightened level of concern. Apparently, the crooks downloaded over 600 thousand names and drivers license numbers of drivers and the names, email addresses and phone numbers of over 57 million riders. While the cash cow of credit card or bank information of customers did not disappear into the depths of the dark net and the potential for billions of dollars in the probable mess of fraud and litigation, the transportation behemoth is not completely off of the hook, as the pending public relations nightmare should help to temper the current headline wildfire of sexual harassment claims, garnering the attention of the nation.
Critics of Uber, have cited concerns over insurance coverage compatibility and the company’s stringent no firearm policy pertaining to drivers and passengers as strong deterrents to downloading the app. Of course, the company has faced constant pressure from certain municipalities and cab and limousine unions, as to the lack of licensing requirements for vehicles and drivers.
One can only participate the fun and games that will commence when the navigation system of Uber’s self-driving cars are invaded by the Lithuanian primary school’s science exploration team of outstanding pupils. Nothing to see here.
Read the Fox Business News article here.
