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Former Disney employee accused of hacking computer menus to add profanity and errors

Former Disney employee accused of hacking computer menus to add profanity and errors

ORLANDO, Florida – A former employee hacked Walt Disney World servers after he was fired to manipulate computer menus by changing prices, adding profanity and altering notices to falsely advertise certain products as safe for people with allergies, according to a federal criminal complaint.

The former employee was arrested last week following an FBI investigation. His court-appointed attorney, David Haas, said Thursday that his client intends to plead not guilty after being formally charged. In the meantime, he was being held in jail until at least a bail hearing scheduled for next week.

In his motion for release, Haas said his client has had mental health issues since childhood and is currently seeing a psychiatrist.

“He is not receiving any mental health counseling or treatment in prison,” the attorney said in the motion.

On Thursday, Disney said it would not comment on the case. Disney noticed the changes before menus were sent to restaurants, including allergen information, with “potentially fatal consequences depending on the severity of customers’ allergies,” the complaint said.

Disney was forced to shut down its menu creation program for more than a week, and the company says the attacks cost at least $150,000.

Disney’s internal investigation has identified an employee who was fired last June as a menu production manager as a potential suspect. The termination was “contentious and not believed to be amicable,” and his job duties included creating and publishing menus for the company’s entire restaurant portfolio, the criminal complaint said.

Only employees in his position or a similar position “would have the access and knowledge to carry out the attacks,” the complaint said.

The former Disney employee denied any wrongdoing when FBI agents searched his home last month.

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