A former employee at Walt Disney World was apprehended after allegedly hacking into the company’s servers following his dismissal, according to a federal criminal complaint. The individual purportedly manipulated various computer menus by adjusting prices, inserting offensive language, and mislabeling items to erroneously indicate they were safe for individuals with allergies.
Last week, the ex-employee was arrested after an investigation led by the FBI. His attorney, David Haas, indicated on Thursday that the client plans to plead not guilty once a formal indictment is announced. Until that time, the individual is being held in custody, awaiting a bond hearing scheduled for the following week.
In a motion requesting his release, Haas disclosed that his client has faced mental health challenges since childhood and is currently under the care of a psychiatrist. He further noted, “He is not receiving any mental health counseling or treatment while incarcerated,” which he emphasized in the motion presented to the court.
Disney has opted not to provide comments regarding this particular case. However, the complaint details that the company intercepted these changes prior to the menus being dispatched to its eateries, which included crucial allergen information that could have had “potentially fatal consequences depending on the severity of the customers’ allergies.”
As a consequence of the breach, Disney was compelled to take its menu creation system offline for over a week, resulting in losses estimated at no less than $150,000. During an internal investigation, Disney identified the terminated employee, who held a position as a menu production manager up until June, as a key suspect. The termination process was described as “contentious and not amicable,” with the employee’s duties encompassing the creation and publication of menus for the entire restaurant division of the company, according to the criminal complaint.
The complaint mentions that only an individual in his role, or a similar capacity, would possess the necessary access and expertise to execute the cyber-attacks. When agents from the FBI searched his residence last month, the former Disney employee reportedly denied any involvement in the illicit activities.