Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE:UBER) said it has been investigating a cybersecurity incident after a hacker breached a worker’s messaging app, Slack, saying the company suffered a data infringement.
The hacker also seemed to access other internal communication systems, with an explicit image posted on another page for employees to see, a New York Times report said, citing an Uber spokesperson.
"We are in touch with law enforcement and will post additional updates here as they become available," the company tweeted.
Uber said it took Slack - which is owned by Salesforce Inc - offline for its employees, after the message reading “I announce I am a hacker and Uber has suffered a data breach," before adding internal databases that had apparently been breached.
One person, who claimed to be the hacker, told the American newspaper that he sent a text message to one of the ride-hailer app’s workers insisting he was a corporate IT employee.
The Uber worker handed over a password that gave the hacker access to the systems, according to the NY Times.
Slack, meanwhile claimed to be looking into the matter, saying there was not any evidence of the platform’s reported vulnerability.
"Uber is a valued customer and we are here to help them if they need us," Slack said in a statement.