CONVICTED

Uber’s Former Security Chief Found Guilty of Data Breach Cover-Up

Joe Sullivan was found guilty of obstructing justice and actively hiding a felony from the FTC.

The former security head of Uber was convicted on federal charges Wednesday for a massive 2016 data breach cover-up, in which the executive was accused of paying off hackers extorting the company and using his reputation as a former prosecutor to thwart the feds from examining the situation. Joe Sullivan was found guilty of obstructing justice and actively hiding a felony. It’s the first high profile conviction related to a company being penalized for navigating and paying off its hackers—a practice that has become increasingly common over the last few years, to the point that security firms and insurance companies have come to offer special packages for handling the procedure, according to The Washington Post. A date has yet to be set for Sullivan’s sentencing, and there’s a possibility the cyber security expert could appeal the ruling.