Prosecutors: Former Uber exec charged in hacking cover-up
A former Uber executive was charged Thursday in federal court on allegations that he arranged to pay hackers $100,000 to cover up a high-tech heist that stole the personal information about 57 million of the ride-hailing service’s users and drivers during 2016.
Two hackers pleaded guilty in the scheme last year and are awaiting sentencing. The criminal complaint filed Thursday against Joseph Sullivan, Uber's former chief security officer, alleges that the hackers shared the data with a third person — who may still have it.
Sullivan, 52, previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney in a Computer Hacking and IP Unit. He worked in the same federal prosecutor’s office that brought the charges against him.
Sullivan, who lives in Palo Alto, California, was also previously employed by Facebook, eBay and PayPal. He was a member of the federal Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity under President Barack Obama.
Bradford Williams, a spokesman for Sullivan who also previously worked for eBay, said in a statement there is “no merit” to the charges.
“If not for Mr. Sullivan’s and his team’s efforts, it’s likely that the individuals responsible for this incident never would have been identified at all,” the statement said. “From the outset, Mr. Sullivan and his team collaborated closely with legal, communications and other relevant teams at Uber, in accordance with the company’s written policies. Those policies made clear that Uber’s legal department — and not Mr. Sullivan or his group — was responsible for deciding whether, and to whom, the matter should be disclosed.”
Sullivan's charges came on the same day as a California appeals court allowed Uber and Lyft to continue treating their drivers as independent contractors in the state in a decision that will give the two companies a few...
