Taxi app Uber has become the latest high profile firm to suffer a serious data breach, with an estimated 2.7 million customers in the UK amongst those impacted, according to the Register.

This accounts not only for people who rely on the app to order cabs, but also the drivers themselves, who effectively act as freelance workers rather than permanent employees of Uber.

The hack itself took place last October but Uber has been sitting on this fact for over 12 months, with the Information Commissioner’s Office still awaiting the delivery of full details about precisely what occurred so that it can pass judgement.

In a statement it was revealed that the 2.7 million figure is an approximation and that it may not be possible to reveal a more precise proportion of the Brits who were impacted by the breach.

A spokesperson for the ICO said that Uber will shortly be issuing users believed to have been caught up in the attack an explanation, as well as warning them to look out for an influx of scam emails, phone calls and other potentially problematic communications from cybercriminals.

It remains unclear exactly what type of private data the attackers were able to steal, which creates problematic uncertainty in its own right and means it is harder for people to know how to respond.

Any organisation which stores user data, whether it be a site that offers safe shopping online or an app that provides other types of services, has a legal responsibility to protect it. But it seems that even multinational firms can fall short in this respect.

Customers of Uber who use the same related email address to log into other digital services and sites that offer safe shopping online are advised to change their passwords as a precaution.