Uber data breach may have compromised 50,000 drivers

Information on tens of thousands of Uber drivers was potentially compromised in a data breach that hit the company last May, the popular ride-hailing service announced Friday. 

{mosads}Uber’s managing counsel of data privacy, Katherine Tassi, said an unauthorized user accessed a database containing drivers’ names and license numbers on May 13, 2014. 

The security weakness was first discovered on Sept. 17 and has been patched, Tassi said in a statement.

“Uber takes seriously our responsibility to safeguard personal information, and we are sorry for any inconvenience this incident may cause,” said Tassi. “In addition, today we filed a lawsuit that will enable us to gather information to help identify and prosecute this unauthorized third party.”

The database held details for roughly 50,000 current and former Uber drivers from around the United States. No financial information appears to have been compromised. 

Nonetheless, Uber took steps to communicate with drivers on Friday, offering them one year of free identity protection. 

The data breach underscores that virtually no company is safe from hackers or unauthorized users who want to take advantage of security weaknesses. Hacks of major companies are reported on an almost monthly basis. 

This story was updated at 5:58 p.m.