14 DAY TRIAL // A Colorado Springs man received a two-year prison sentence on Tuesday for installing damaging code on a computer system used by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to screen passengers.
The attempted sabotage occurred on October 23, 2009, several days after TSA worker Douglas James Duchak was notified that his five-year job with the agency will be terminated.
The man was caught by security cameras while entering the Colorado Springs TSA operations center after hours at about the same time the destructive code was planted on the computer.
The code was not activated, but according to investigators, it was capable of disabling the system and temporarily preventing TSA agents from comparing the names of air travelers against the agency's "no fly" list.
Duchak pleaded guilty in October 2010 to one count of intentionally trying to damage a protected computer, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The judge was lenient because Duchak had an otherwise spotless criminal record and work history. According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, the former TSA worker tearfully apologized for his actions.
His defense pointed out that his wife was pregnant with their second child when he learned that he was going to loose his job, which played a great role in his reckless decision.
The judge ordered Duchak to pay restitution $60,587 to the TSA for repairs performed to the computer after his malicious attack.
According to his plea agreement, he won't be forced to pay a fine, but he will undergo mental health treatment and will serve three years of supervised release.
Incidents of disgruntled employees trying to take revenge on their former employer are relatively common. A former Fannie Mae UNIX engineer was sentenced to 41 months in prison last month for planting a malicious script on the company's network during his last day of work.
The code was set to activate several months later and delete all data from the mortgage giant's 5,000 servers, causing millions of dollars in losses. Fortunately, it was discovered in time.