A former software developer has been convicted of intentionally sabotaging his ex-employer’s computer systems following a demotion at the company. Davis Lu was found guilty of deploying custom malware and installing a "kill switch" that locked out thousands of employees after his termination.
Lu, who, according to local media, worked for power management company Eaton Corporation from November 2007 until October 2019, was convicted of maliciously damaging the company's computer systems and network infrastructure after being demoted following a corporate restructuring in 2018.
Eaton Corporation, which provides electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical solutions for various industries, faced significant operational disruptions due to Lu’s malware.
According to court documents, Lu specifically designed the malware to run in an “infinite loop,” which overloaded a production server’s resources. This caused a complete system crash, preventing users from logging in and hampering business operations. The code repeatedly generated Java threads without proper termination, leading to an uncontrollable consumption of server resources.
Additionally, Lu was accused of deleting coworker profiles and introducing a "kill switch" designed to lock out all users if his personal account in the company’s Windows Active Directory was disabled. The “kill switch,” named IsDLEnabledinAD (an abbreviation of "Is Davis Lu Enabled in Active Directory"), was triggered when Lu was terminated on September 9, 2019, causing widespread disruptions to the company’s network.
This led to the loss of access to critical systems for thousands of Eaton employees.
The jury convicted Lu of causing intentional damage to protected computers, for which he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.
