Major corporations like The Walt Disney Company are always susceptible to hackers. With millions of gigabytes of information on customers, including sensitive banking information, hackers see Disney as a potential treasure chest.
Last year, Disney was hacked through an unused website containing current user information. Hackers stole 2.5 GB of data from The Walt Disney Company in the Club Penguin hack. Initially, the data was believed only to be old user data from the online game; however, it has since been learned that the breach included internal corporate data, advertising plans, Disney+ data, and internal corporate plans.
While that hack was an annoyance for Disney customers, another major Disney data breach could have caused a life-and-death situation for some Walt Disney World guests. Last year, former Disney employee Michael Scheuer hacked websites at Disney World restaurants, changing some menus and removing allergy warnings from some foods.
According to court filings, Scheuer “focused on peanut, tree nut, shellfish, and milk allergens.” However, Scheuer also erased some menus completely, changed wine regions to areas that had recently experienced mass shootings, and included a Swaztika on a menu.
Scheuer also targeted Disney employees who he believed were responsible for his dismissal from the company. In August, he launched a cyberattack on 14 Disney employees, locking them out of their accounts. After his home was raided, Scheuer allegedly also went to one of the employees’ homes, causing Disney to move that employee to a secure location.
Despite Scheuer’s best efforts, most of his menu changes were caught before they were printed and sent to Disney World restaurants, helping the company avoid another major allergen catastrophe.
According to Scheuer’s lawyer, David Haas, he will enter a guilty plea to two felonies: computer fraud and aggravated identity theft. Haas said:
Mr. Scheuer is prepared to accept responsibility for his conduct. Unfortunately, he has mental health issues that were exacerbated when Disney fired him upon his return from paternity leave. No one was ever at risk of injury and he is deeply remorseful for what happened.
Haas also said that Scheuer was fired from Disney for objecting to changes being made in the computer system that creates menus at Disney World. Disney did not comment on his firing.
Scheuer will have to pay restitution to The Walt Disney Company for damages it incurred during this incident. Disney has yet to determine how much Scheuer’s actions have cost the company. His jail sentence will be determined by the monetary damages Disney seeks.
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