Ex-Developer Jailed Four Years for Sabotaging Ohio Employer with Kill-Switch Malware
What’s new: A former software developer, Davis Lu, has been sentenced to four years in prison for sabotaging his Ohio employer’s network using custom malware. Lu deployed a kill switch that locked out employees when his account was disabled, causing significant operational disruptions and financial losses estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Who’s affected
The unnamed Ohio-based company where Lu was employed from 2007 to 2019, along with its employees who were locked out of the system due to the malicious code he implemented.
What to do
- Review access controls and permissions for employees, especially during corporate realignments or terminations.
- Implement monitoring systems to detect unusual activities or changes in system access.
- Conduct regular security training for employees to recognize insider threats and report suspicious behavior.
