Former Disney worker sentenced to three years in prison for menu hacking exploit
A Mischievous Ex-Disney Employee Sentenced for Cybersabotage
Just a handful of months ago, a rogue former employee of none other than the beloved Walt Disney World was handed a three-year prison sentence by a Florida federal court judge. But this wasn't a standard affair - it involved hacking of a unique kind. A man named Michael Scheuer, a native of Winter Garden, Florida, had managed to infiltrate the system that handles the production of menus used by Disney's numerous restaurants, tampering with their contents for his own twisted amusement.
Court records reveal that Scheuer, now 40, hacked into the system behind the scenes, changing prices, adding vulgar language, and altering allergen information in certain dishes - some potentially hazardous to unsuspecting visitors. Shockingly, all these tomfoolery remained undetected, as they never made it past the internal review process or the printing stage.
The hacking extravaganza started taking a sinister turn when Scheuer began targeting specific employees, locking some of them out of their accounts using denial-of-service attacks. An investigation by the FBI later exposed that the attacks were in fact directed at ex-colleagues who were involved in his dismissal. In one instance, Scheuer even paid an unwelcome, midnight visit to a targeted employee's home, giving them a friendly thumbs-up using their Ring doorbell camera before making a hasty exit.
Prosecutors attributed Scheuer's actions to a spree of cybercrimes arising from a mental health incident, requesting a hefty 70-month sentence. However, his lawyer, David Haas, claimed that Scheuer was simply desperate for a response from Disney following his sack, arguing that he was merely seeking attention.
In early June, a few days after Scheuer returned from paternity leave, he found himself embroiled in a dispute with his supervisor over menu creation matters. A couple of days later, a suspension was announced. Instead of complying, Scheuer was let go for undefined transgressions. It was then that Scheuer took matters into his own hands, commencing his cunning hacking campaign that lasted roughly three months.
During the course of his criminal escapade, Scheuer made changes to various dishes on the menus, including a $2 price cut on a popular libation named the Giddy-Up, reducing the size of a 10-ounce filet mignon by 2 ounces, and renaming an exotic wine from "Infamous Goose" to "Infamous Moose." He also playfully transformed the peaceful Golden, Colorado, into the gruesome location of Aurora, Colorado, referencing a site of a horrific mass shooting.
While some prices or descriptions on a few menus vanished, Scheuer proved to be a master manipulator as he tricked the system into showing that certain menu items were safe for patrons with various allergies, like peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, and milk. The discreet nature of the changes was designed to avoid raising suspicions.
Disney World, however, had their eyes on the prize. They swooped in, slapping a manual menu approval process and a new, in-house system in place to maintain the uninterrupted quality of their service. Despite the incident, the affected menus never made it to the dining tables, courtesy of Disney's keen vigilance.
Naturally, Disney spoke little on the topic, refusing to comment when approached for a statement. Nonetheless, the incident served as a wake-up call regarding the ever-looming threats of insider attacks and the dire consequences of corporate cybercrimes. Scheuer, ordered to pay around $620,000 to Disney and $70,000 to the unnamed software company that provides Disney with its menu creation suite, was remorseful and apologetic for his actions.
This case serves as a stark reminder to always be mindful of the hidden threats lurking within, especially when it comes to sensitive corporate infrastructure, and to approach every employee with an open mind and a watchful eye.
- The rogue former Disney employee, Michael Scheuer, tampered with menu contents, causing potential health hazards for unsuspecting visitors due to altered allergen information.
- In addition to hacking the menu system, Scheuer targeted specific employees by locking them out of their accounts, displaying a malicious intent.
- Technology played a significant role in the case, as Scheuer's crimes were initially possible due to vulnerabilities in Disney's menu creation suite.
- The incident involving Michael Scheuer highlights the importance of general news and crime-and-justice topics, emphasizing the need for corporations to address insider threats and the potential consequences of corporate cybercrimes.
