Ex-Disney employee accused of hacking computer menus

After being fired, a former employee hacked Walt Disney World’s servers to alter computer menus by changing prices, adding profanities and altering notifications to falsely advertise some items as safe for people with allergies, according to a federal criminal complaint.

The former employee was arrested last week following an FBI investigation. Court-appointed attorney David Haas said Thursday that his client plans to plead not guilty after a formal indictment is filed. In the meantime, he would be held in jail at least until a bail hearing is set for next week.

In a motion seeking his release, Haas said his client has struggled with 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 his motion.

Disney said Thursday it had no comment on the lawsuit. The complaint said Disney made changes to menus, including allergen information, before menus were sent to restaurants that “could have fatal consequences depending on the severity of customers’ allergies.”

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

An internal investigation by Disney identified the worker who was fired from his position as menu production manager last June as a potential suspect. The criminal complaint said the termination was “controversial and deemed not amicable” and that his job responsibilities included creating and publishing menus for the company’s entire portfolio of restaurants.

Only employees in his or similar positions “could have had 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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