Careem, a ride-hail startup based in Dubai and operating in 14 countries, announced today that hackers stole data belonging to 14 million riders and drivers.
Photo: Harrison Weber (Gizmodo)
The company discovered the breach on January 14 but waited to notify its customers because the investigation was ongoing. “Cybercrime investigations are immensely complicated and take time. We wanted to make sure we had the most accurate information before notifying people,” Careem said in a statement, noting it worked with cybersecurity experts and law enforcement to investigate the breach.
The stolen data includes customer names, email addresses, phone numbers and trip history. Careem said that it discovered no evidence that passwords or credit card information had been breached.
However, the company is recommending that its users change their passwords anyway, especially if they used their Careem password on other websites. Careem also warned its users to watch their bank statements for signs of fraud or suspicious activity.
“We regularly review and update our security systems – this time it wasn’t enough to prevent an attack,” Careem said in its statement. “While no organisation is completely immune to the threat of cybercrime, we are committed to meeting these threats and protecting the privacy and data of those that have placed their trust in us.”
Careem is Uber’s largest competitor in the Middle East, Bloomberg reports, and has recently been in talks to launch its initial public offering.