Hillicon Valley — Hacker gains access to Uber network   

Uber said it is investigating a cybersecurity incident after a hacker claimed to have gained access to its network. 

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Friday a
$1 billion investment that will help fund its first-ever cyber grant program tailored specifically for state, local and territorial governments across the U.S. 

This is Hillicon Valley, detailing all you need to know about tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Send tips to The Hill’s Rebecca Klar and Ines Kagubare. Someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Uber suffers data breach 

Uber is investigating a possible breach of its network after a hacker gained access on Thursday to the company’s internal system. 

The transport company shut off a number of its internal services, including messaging and engineering services, during the investigation, according to The New York Times. 

• The person claiming responsibility for the hack told the Times that he gained access to Uber’s internal systems by posing as a corporate information technology person and convincing a company employee to share a password with him. 
  
• The hacker accessed the internal messaging service Slack through one person’s account and sent employees a message saying, “I announce I am a hacker and Uber has suffered a data breach.” 

Uber’s response: “We are currently responding to a cybersecurity incident. We are in touch with law enforcement and will post additional updates here as they become available.” 

Read more here. 

DHS invests $1 billion in cyber for states 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Friday a $1 billion investment that will help fund its first-ever cyber grant program tailored specifically for state, local and territorial governments across the U.S. 

The funds will help these governments address cybersecurity risks, including identifying key vulnerabilities, mitigating threats and strengthening critical infrastructure. 

The $1 billion fund will be allocated over the next four years, with $185 million made available for fiscal 2022.  

• “Cyberattacks have emerged as one of the most significant threats to our homeland,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a statement.  
  
• “In response, we continue to strengthen our nation’s cybersecurity, including by resourcing state and local communities to build and enhance their cyber defenses,” he added. 

Read more here. 

TESLA SUED OVER FALSE ADVERTISEMENT 

A Tesla owner sued the electric car manufacturer on Wednesday, alleging the company falsely advertised its autopilot technology and misled customers about the technology’s capabilities. 

California resident Briggs Matsko — who bought a new Tesla Model X in 2018 — filed the class-action lawsuit on behalf of himself and other customers who “never received the self-driving car that Tesla promised them.” 

Matsko paid an extra $5,000 for Tesla’s autopilot technology, which the company claimed would make the car fully self-driving in some situations and suggested would soon work in all situations, according to the lawsuit. However, Matsko said Tesla never delivered on its promises. 

“Although these promises have proven false time and time again, Tesla and (CEO Elon) Musk have continued making them to generate media attention, to deceive consumers into believing it has unrivaled cutting-edge technology, and to establish itself as a leading player in the fast-growing electric vehicle market,” the lawsuit said.

Read more here. 

‘SHARENTING’ SPARKS CONCERNS OVER KIDS’ PRIVACY  

The popularity of social media has led to increasing numbers of parents and caregivers sharing photos or videos of their children, a practice dubbed “sharenting.”  

But companies and predators are waiting to jump on these posts to harvest kids’ data for monetary purposes, or worse. 

What’s more, the only bill protecting children’s data online was implemented in 1998 and has yet to undergo any updates reflecting the current digital landscape.   

Read more here. 

BITS & PIECES

An op-ed to chew on: When metaverse worlds collide in Congress 

Notable links from around the web: 

TikTok’s C.E.O. Navigates the Limits of His Power (The New York Times / Ryan Mac and Chang Che) 

Scams are showing up at the top of online searches (The Washington Post / Geoffrey Fowler) 

Cybersecurity concerns after Ethereum’s Merge (Axios / Sam Sabin) 

🐕 Lighter click: Millions of families suffer every year

One more thing: Networking on LinkedIn 

A sweeping new study published in Science argues that weaker relationships are the most likely to help you land a better job, at least on LinkedIn. 

Study crafters conducted experiments with the website’s “People You May Know” algorithm to test out sociologist Mark Granovetter’s “strength of weak ties” theory. 

Crafters found that weaker relationships, like those a person has with an acquaintance versus a close friend, provided the most job mobility. 

Read more here. 

That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s Technology and Cybersecurity pages for the latest news and coverage. We’ll see you next week.

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