File Photo: An Uber sign is seen in a car in New York, U.S. June 30, 2015. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

NEW YORK, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Data from 57 million users and drivers were compromised in a data breach incident Uber concealed for more than a year.

According to a statement Uber released on Tuesday, two individuals outside the company inappropriately accessed user data stored on a third-party cloud-based service in October 2016 and downloaded files.

The stolen information includes names and driver's license numbers of around 600,000 drivers in the United States as well as names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers of riders around the world, said the statement.

The company took immediate steps to secure to secure the data and shut down further unauthorized access by the individuals. It identified the individuals and obtained assurances that the downloaded data had been destroyed, according to the statement.

Uber said location history, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, Social Security numbers or dates of birth do not appear to have been stolen.

Affected drivers will get free credit monitoring and identity theft protection. Regulatory authorities were being notified, the company added.

However, Uber did not reveal the incident to the public at the time.

"None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it," Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in the statement, adding that the company is putting integrity at the core of every one of the company' s decision.

Khosrowshahi took the position of Uber's CEO on Aug. 30 this year.