Uber ignored bug in its two-factor authentication

San Francisco Jan 22 (IANS) Ride-hailing app Uber has reportedly ignored a security flaw -- discovered by a New Delhi-based security researcher -- that can allow an attacker to hack into user accounts via bypassing its two-factor authentication feature.

"Two-factor authentication is a vital part of protecting online accounts that adds a second layer of security on top of your username and password -- which can be be stolen -- by sending a code by text message to your phone which only you would have access to " tech website ZDNet reported late on Sunday.

"That two-factor code can be bypassed making the second layer of security protection effectively useless " security researcher Karan Saini was quoted as saying by ZDNet.

The security bug works by exploiting a weakness in how the app authenticates a user when they log in to the platform thereby letting the user log in to an account and easily defeat the two-factor prompt without entering the correct code.

Uber reportedly said the security bug "is not a particularly severe" issue.

"This isn t a particularly severe report and is likely expected behaviour " Rob Fletcher Security Engineering Manager at Uber said in his correspondence with Saini about the bug report.

Uber began testing two-factor authentication on its systems in 2015 but the company has yet to widely push the security feature to its users.

--IANS
ksc/na