A recently terminated employee of Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corporation allegedly hacked into his former employer’s network, causing thousands of dollars of damage to his former employer.
The employee was employed as a software programmer and systems manager. After being passed over for a promotion, the individual resigned. Before resigning, the individual allegedly copied files from the company onto a flash drive. He possibly used the information on the flash drive to steal credentials and corrupt the company network. The case is in the hands of the FBI. If convicted, the individual faces a maximum sentence of a year in jail and $250,000 in fines.
Employers would be well served to prohibit downloads of company data onto flash drives or other portable devices. Upon termination, employee’s computer access should be immediately deactivated, and computer accounts locked. Employees should also be reminded not to share passwords or login credentials. Special care should be taken upon the departure of programmers and others with high-level access to the company’s computer network.