Financial Protection

Uber’s former Chief Security Officer convicted in data breach coverup

Uber’s former Chief Security Officer, Joe Sullivan, was convicted on Wednesday by a federal jury for failing to disclose a massive 2016 data breach to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and for trying to cover it up.

Werner Moser | Pixabay.com

Uber’s former Chief Security Officer, Joe Sullivan, was convicted on Wednesday by a federal jury for failing to disclose a massive 2016 data breach to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and for trying to cover it up. Sullivan was Facebook’s top security officer before leaving for Uber.

Uber’s 2016 breach involved the records of approximately 57 million Uber users and 600,000 driver license numbers.

According to the Washington Post this was the “first major criminal case brought against a corporate executive over a breach by outsiders.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office put the guilty verdict this way:

“The message in today’s guilty verdict is clear: companies storing their customers’ data have a responsibility to protect that data and do the right thing when breaches occur“  –  FBI Special Agent In Charge Robert K. Tripp.

Indeed, the verdict should serve as a reminder to corporate executives that they have a responsibility to keep consumer data safe and that customers have a right to know when their personal information has been compromised.

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