Posted on April 25, 2018 at 4:59 PM

Careem Hacked, Attackers Stole Data Involving 14 Million Customers and Drivers

One of Uber’s biggest rivals, Careem, was a target of a recent hacking attack. The attack resulted in a theft of personal data of both, company’s drivers, as well as customers. It is estimated that 14 million individuals were affected by the hack.

Careem is a known rival to Uber, and it is based in the United Arab Emirates. The company’s influence goes throughout the Middle East, as well as North and South Africa. They are currently operating in 13 countries, and 80 cities in total. Company’s value was estimated to be at around $1.2 billion back in 2017.

The hack

Not much is known about the actual attack yet. After the attack, Careem released a blog post in which they said that the attack took place on January 14th and that the company’s security discovered an intrusion. The target were the company’s computer systems that were holding private data of their customers, as well as that of their drivers. Everyone who used the company’s services after that date is not affected by the attack.

The stolen data

The blog post also stated that the data that was stolen consists of customers’ names, email addresses, phone numbers, as well as information about their rides. Basically, this means that whoever possesses this info now has access to all the trips that the drivers and their customers took.

For now, Careem claims that there is no indication that the hacker managed to get information regarding customers’ credit cards, nor their passwords. This is due to the fact that the company is keeping such info on a different server, which belongs to a third party. Even so, victims of the theft are advised to pay attention to their bank accounts and any unusual activities involving their credit cards. Also, it would be a good idea for everyone affected by the theft to change their password.

The UAE media claims that Careem first realized that there is a breach after they found a message on their systems. The message was left by the hacker, and its content is currently unknown.

Careem stated that they are conducting a thorough investigation so that the issue will be addressed properly. The company hired cybersecurity experts to assist in the investigation, and also to help improve their systems’ security. Law enforcement agencies are also a part of the company’s team.

The company added that their priority is the protection of customers’ privacy and data, as well as the protection of the data involving their own employees. Ever since the intrusion was detected, the company did whatever they could to understand what happened, how the breach came to be, as well as who exactly is affected by it.

The difference between Uber and Careem

Back in November 2017, there were reports of a massive hack that hit Uber. According to reports, over 75 million customers’ data was stolen. The hack supposedly happened more than a year before that, in October 2016. However, the company decided to keep quiet about the breach. Their plan was to bribe the hackers with $100,000 so that none of the stolen data would be released.

Careem handled things differently and decided to come out with the information. They said that the company’s responsibility is to be honest with their users and to reaffirm their commitment to protecting their data.

Since these data thefts can lead to some very serious consequences, it is advised to all affected individuals to follow the steps that the company mentioned. This is critical in order for everyone to avoid identity theft, as well as phishing of banking scams.