Deletes files and disables communication systems

Aug 8, 2009 09:50 GMT  ·  By

A computer specialist has been arrested and indicted for breaking into his former employer's computer network one year after he was let go. The admin is accused of causing significant damage by deleting records and crippling critical communication systems such as email and telephone.

Luis Robert Altamarino worked as a computer specialist for five months back in 2007 at a charity called United Way of Miami-Dade (UWMD). His employment with the organization ended in December 2007; however, almost one year later, on Christmas Eve 2008, the admin hacked his way back in onto his former employer's network in order to wreak havoc.

"On December 24-25, 2008, approximately one year after he left UWMD’s employ, Altamarino is alleged to have accessed United Way’s network without authorization," is noted in a joint press release from FBI's Miami Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.

Altamarino's suspected reason for the intrusion or the methods he used to access the network were not specified, but it is mentioned that the computer specialist deleted donor contact records. The computer systems handling e-mail and voice mail were also disabled, disrupting the organization's communication channels. According to The Register, it took the charity organization several days to restore normal functionality of their systems and the losses were estimated at over $5,000.

The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida and was assigned to Judge Donald L. Graham. The investigation was conducted by FBI’s Computer Intrusion Squad and Computer Analysis and Response Team (CART) with the cooperation from UWMD. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aurora Fagan will be prosecuting the case.

Computer intrusions from former employees are rather common occurrences and one of the main reasons is failure to revoke the authentication credentials of terminated personnel. Back in March we reported that an IT technician had impaired the normal functionality of a critical system used to communicate with oil extraction platforms and monitor pipelines for hazardous leaks, after the company he had a temporary contract with decided not to employ him permanently.

Also in March, it was revealed that an ex-IT consultant who worked for Australia's Northern Territory Government used a former colleague's credentials to delete over 10,000 employee accounts from government systems. In January, a Minnesota man pleaded guilty to installing malware on over 1,000 servers belonging to the company where he worked as a tech support staffer.