--- title: "Uber Hack Was So Huge Employees Thought It Was a Prank" description: "When a self-proclaimed hacker announced that it had breached Uber's security, some other ride-sharing company's employees seemed to think it was a joke." date: "2022-09-17" modified: "2022-09-17" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/uber-hack-security-breach-prank" categories: - "Cybersecurity" - "Future Society" - "Hacking" tags: - "hackers" - "slack" - "the digest" - "Uber" --- # Uber Hack Was So Huge Employees Thought It Was a Prank ![When a self-proclaimed hacker announced that it had breached Uber's security, some other ride-sharing company's employees seemed to think it was a joke.]() *Jugendliche am Computerbildschirm, Datenschutz, Mädchen, Datensicherheit, Computervirus, Cyberkriminalität, Hacker, Kapuze, Brille, Spiegelung, Brandenburg, Deutschland \Image: Getty Images\* ## Not A Joke When a hacker announced that they had breached Uber's security, some of the ride-sharing company's employees reportedly thought they were being pranked. As [screenshots provided to *The Washington Post*]() show that when the still-unknown hacker announced themselves via a company Slack channel, many employees responded with emoji reactions that suggest they thought someone was playing a joke. As the *WaPo* noted, there were others who took the hack announcement a bit more seriously. "Sorry to be a stick in the mud," the person whose messages were reviewed by *WaPo* wrote, "but I think IT would appreciate less memes while they handle the breach." https://twitter.com/ColtonSeal/status/1570596125924794368 ## Trolling, Trolling, Trolling Further details that have since been revealed about the Uber hack, which was initially [confirmed by the *New York Times*](), reveal that the person who took credit for the hack claimed they are 18 years old, and that they had an, er, interesting way of trolling the company. An [Uber employee who spoke to *Fortune*]() told the magazine that when they opened their work computer, the company's internal website displayed an "erect penis" along with text that read "FUCK YOU WANKERS." This reporting seems to corroborate details provided to Yuga Labs security engineer Sam Curry, who [tweeted yesterday]() that Uber employees said they found themselves redirected to web pages that featured "a pornographic image" and the same "wanker" epithet. As [*Ars Technica*]() and other outlets have reported, the hacker appears to have accessed Uber's internals via a successful phishing attack they took out on an employee via WhatsApp. The company [told *Reuters*]() that it's investigating the breach and claims no sensitive user data had been accessed. Until the company — or the hacker — provide more updates, we won't really know what happened or why the hacker went after the ride-sharing giant. But it's clear, at least, that it was *not* a joke. **READ MORE:** [Uber was breached to its core, purportedly by an 18-year-old. Here are the basics]() \[*Ars Technica*\] **More Uberism:** [*The Disgraced Uber Guy Is Back With a Fun New Plan to Kill Restaurants*]() **And more hack news:** *[Parent-Teacher Messaging App Hacked to Send Mom and Dad Horrifying Images]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()