A former IT manager who hacked into the presentation of his former company’s CEO and replaced it with pornography has been sentenced to two years in prison.
Walter Powell (52) worked for the Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems in Baltimore, Maryland. The company fired him in 2009.
He began hacking into the company’s computer network, which includes an incident where he replaced a presentation to the board of directors with porn, a release from the city state’s attorney’s office says.
Powell pleaded guilty to invading the computer system of his former employer.
Circuit Court Judge M Brooke Murdock sentenced Powell to two years in prison with all time suspended, as well as 100 hours of community service and three years of probation. The case marks Baltimore City’s first computer hacking case, according to the city’s state’s attorney’s office.
This case only serves to remind organisations of the importance of IT security, and having a proper process in place when staff leave a company, said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, in the Naked Security blog.
“That means changing passwords, and removing access rights when an employee’s time at your firm comes to an end,” wrote Cluley.
