Uber’s 2022 Breach: When Social Engineering Defeats Multi-Factor Authentication

The Human Element: Uber’s Greatest Vulnerability

In September 2022, a teenager managed to breach Uber, one of the world’s most tech-savvy companies. He didn’t use a complex virus; he used Social Engineering. This case study from Kian Technologies highlights why human psychology is often the easiest backdoor for a hacker.

The Attack: MFA Fatigue and Token Theft

The attacker contacted an Uber contractor via WhatsApp, pretending to be from the IT department. After bombarding the victim with hundreds of MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) push notifications, the victim finally clicked "Accept" just to stop the noise—a tactic known as MFA Fatigue. Once inside the Slack environment, the attacker found a hardcoded password in a script that gave him root access to Uber’s entire cloud infrastructure on AWS and Google Cloud.

The Impact on Brand and Infrastructure

While no customer credit card data was leaked, the attacker had "Keys to the Kingdom." He could access source code, internal financial data, and even the Slack channels where employees were discussing the hack in real-time. This incident shook investor confidence and forced Uber to completely rebuild its internal identity verification protocols.

Defense Strategies: Beyond the Password

At Kian Technologies, we use the Uber case to teach Identity and Access Management (IAM):

• FIDO2/WebAuthn: Moving away from push notifications to physical security keys that are resistant to phishing.
• Secrets Management: Never hardcoding credentials in scripts (using tools like HashiCorp Vault).
• Employee Training: Moving beyond boring videos to real-world, high-stress social engineering simulations.

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