Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Uber’s former security chief found guilty of hiding 2016 data breach

Uber’s former security chief found guilty of hiding 2016 data breach

The Uber verdict marks a rare instance where a corporate information security officer was criminally charged with failing to disclose a hacking
Uber’s former security chief on Wednesday was found guilty of hiding a 2016 data breach from authorities and obstructing a Federal Trade Commission investigation into the company’s security practices, according to reports.

Joe Sullivan, 53, who headed security for Facebook before joining Uber, was found guilty in San Francisco federal court after a three-week trial. It marked a rare instance where a corporate information security officer was criminally charged with failing to disclose a hacking.

In his opening argument, Andrew Dawson, an assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of California told the court this case was "about cover-up, about payoff and about lies," The Wall Street Journal reported.

A federal judge ruled over the summer that Sullivan must face wire fraud charges over his purported involvement in attempting to cover up the 2016 hacking, exposing personal information of 57 million of the company's drivers and passengers.

The Department of Justice said Sullivan arranged to pay $100,000 in hush money to two hackers, while also trying to hide the hacking from drivers, passengers, and the FTC.

A federal judge rejected Sullivan's claim that prosecutors failed to adequately argue he concealed the hacking in an effort to ensure that Uber drivers would not flee and would continue making service fee payments.

The judge also rejected Sullivan's assertion that those who were allegedly hacked were Uber's then-CEO Travis Kalanick and the company's general counsel, but no drivers.

Sullivan was initially indicted for his role in the scheme in September 2020.

Uber had a bounty program created to reward security researchers who report flaws. The program was not, however, designed to conceal data thefts.

The ride-sharing company's current CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, terminated Sullivan's employment after learning about the extent of his breach.

The company paid $148 million in September 2018 to settle claims by all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., with each alleging Uber was too slow to disclose the hacking.

Sullivan faces as much as eight years in prison and $500,000 in fines, but U.S. District Judge William Orrick has yet to set a sentencing date.

FOX Business has reached out to Uber and Sullivan's attorney for comment.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×