Uber hack put 2.7m UK users at risk

UBER has told 2.7million British users to check their accounts for ‘unexpected or unusual’ activity after their personal details were stolen

The controversial taxi app finally published estimates of how many were affected by a cyber hack it kept secret for more than a year.

‘We encourage all our users to regularly monitor their accounts for any issues,’ it said. ‘Please let us know via the Help Centre if you see anything unexpected or unusual.’ Uber said its number for accounts hacked was ‘an approximation’.

If the figures are correct, it would mean the personal details of more than half its five million UK users have been compromised. Authorities warned Uber customers to be on their guard against bogus emails and text messages. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the public needed to know how this ‘catastrophic breach of personal data security’ happened and digital minister Matt Hancock said he expected Uber ‘to respond fully to the incident with urgency’.

The information stolen by two hackers in the US in October last year includes the names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers of 57million users and drivers around the world.