Uber Security Breach: Social Engineering and MFA Bypass

The Uber Security Breach

In September 2022, Uber suffered a significant security breach that compromised internal systems and exposed sensitive data. The attack was carried out by a teenage hacker who used sophisticated social engineering techniques to bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA) and gain access to Uber's internal network.

The attacker, who claimed to be 18 years old, gained initial access by targeting an Uber contractor through social engineering. After obtaining the contractor's credentials, the attacker was able to bypass MFA controls and access Uber's internal systems, including the company's Slack workspace and various internal tools.

Attack Methodology

The attack began with social engineering, where the attacker contacted an Uber contractor and convinced them to share their credentials. The attacker then used these credentials to access Uber's internal systems, where they discovered that the MFA prompt could be bypassed by repeatedly sending requests until the legitimate user approved one.

Technical Details

The breach involved multiple stages, including initial access through social engineering, MFA bypass, lateral movement within Uber's network, and data exfiltration. The attacker used various techniques to maintain access and avoid detection, including the use of legitimate administrative tools and living-off-the-land techniques.

Proof of Concept

A typical MFA bypass technique used in such attacks:

import requests
import time

def mfa_bypass(username, password, mfa_endpoint):
    # Repeatedly send MFA requests until user approves
    for i in range(100):
        response = requests.post(mfa_endpoint, {
            'username': username,
            'password': password,
            'mfa_code': '000000'  # Invalid code
        })
        
        if 'success' in response.text:
            print(f"MFA bypassed on attempt {i}")
            return True
            
        time.sleep(1)  # Wait between attempts
    
    return False

Real-World Impact

The breach exposed sensitive internal communications, source code, and other proprietary information. The attacker also gained access to Uber's internal tools and systems, potentially compromising customer data and business operations. The incident raised concerns about the effectiveness of MFA and the need for additional security controls.

Lessons Learned

The Uber breach highlighted the importance of robust MFA implementation and the need for additional security controls beyond traditional authentication methods. Organizations must implement rate limiting on MFA requests, use hardware security keys where possible, and provide comprehensive security training to all employees and contractors.