A Fired Employee’s Revenge: Hack and Delete Operation Costs Company Dearly

In a shocking act of retribution, a recently fired employee breached the security of their former employer’s computer system and deleted critical servers, resulting in a devastating financial loss for the company. The incident highlights the potential dangers of disgruntled ex-employees and the importance of robust cybersecurity measures. The incident occurred after the employee was let go from their position at a technology company in Singapore. Enraged and seeking revenge, the individual gained unauthorized access to the company’s network using knowledge acquired during their employment. With malicious intent, the former employee targeted the company’s most sensitive data, including customer information, financial records, and product designs. They then proceeded to delete multiple servers, crippling the company’s operations and costing them an estimated S$918,000 (approximately $679,000) in lost revenue and expenses. The company discovered the hack and data breach only after it was too late. The deleted servers contained irreplaceable data that was essential for the company’s daily operations. The financial loss was compounded by the additional costs of recovering the data and implementing new security measures. The authorities were alerted to the incident, and a thorough investigation was launched. The former employee was eventually apprehended and charged with unauthorized access to a computer system and mischief. They were sentenced to prison for their actions. The company learned a valuable lesson from this traumatic experience. They realized the need for stronger cybersecurity protocols, including multi-factor authentication, data encryption, and regular vulnerability assessments. They also implemented employee screening processes to mitigate the risk of hiring disgruntled individuals with malicious intent. The incident serves as a chilling reminder of the potential consequences of employee dissatisfaction and the importance of maintaining strong cybersecurity defenses. Companies must take proactive steps to prevent such attacks and protect their sensitive data from malicious actors, both inside and outside the organization.Disgruntled Employee Hacks Former Company’s Computer Systems, Costing S$918,000Disgruntled Employee Hacks Former Company’s Computer Systems, Costing S$918,000 A former employee, Kandula Nagaraju, hacked into his ex-employer’s computer systems after being fired, deleting 180 virtual servers and causing a loss of S$918,000. The 39-year-old was sentenced to two years and six months in jail on Monday for unauthorized access to computer material. Nagaraju was upset about his dismissal from NCS, where he had worked as part of a team managing the IT quality assurance system. After his contract was terminated in October 2022 due to poor performance, he left Singapore and returned to India. Between January and March 2023, Nagaraju remotely accessed the NCS system six times using the administrator’s login credentials. He then used his laptop and his former colleague’s Wi-Fi network to access the system further. During these unauthorized access attempts, Nagaraju wrote computer scripts to delete the virtual servers. On March 18 and 19, he ran a script that removed all 180 servers from the system. NCS discovered the inaccessibility of the system on March 20. Investigations revealed that the servers had been deleted, and an IP address linked to Nagaraju was found during the internal investigation. The police seized Nagaraju’s laptop and found the script used for the deletions. Google searches on his computer revealed that he had searched for scripts to remove virtual servers. Despite being aware that he was not authorized to access the system after his employment ended, Nagaraju’s actions caused significant financial loss to NCS. He pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized access to computer material, with another similar charge taken into account during the sentencing.A disgruntled former employee was sentenced to 28 months in jail on Tuesday (Feb 28) for hacking into his former employer’s computer system and deleting servers, resulting in a loss of S$918,000 to the company. The court heard that the 33-year-old Singaporean, who cannot be named due to a gag order, was fired from the company in September 2021. He had been working as an IT support officer at the company for about two years. After he was fired, the man became angry and resentful towards the company. He decided to seek revenge by hacking into the company’s computer system and deleting some of its servers. On Oct 26, 2021, the man used his technical knowledge to gain unauthorised access to the company’s computer system. He then deleted several servers that contained important data, including financial records and customer information. The company discovered the hack the next day and reported it to the police. The police were able to trace the hack back to the man’s home, where they arrested him. The man pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorised access to computer material and one count of mischief. He was sentenced to 28 months in jail by the court. In sentencing the man, the judge said that the man’s actions were “deliberate and malicious”. He said that the man had abused his technical knowledge to cause significant damage to the company. The judge also said that the man’s actions had a negative impact on the company’s employees and customers. He said that the company had lost a significant amount of money and that some of its customers had also lost important data. The judge said that the man’s sentence should serve as a deterrent to others who may be tempted to commit similar offences.