A disgruntled and now former Disney employee admitted to hacking into Disney World's computer network to alter allergy information along with other details on the parks' food menus.
Michael Scheuer, the defendant, confessed to the charges in a newly filed plea agreement, reported Court Watch. "Mr. Scheuer is prepared to accept responsibility for his conduct," said his attorney, Daivd Haas, who said his "mental health issues" "were exacerbated when Disney fired him upon his return from paternity leave."
Scheuer pled guilty to intentionally causing damage without authorization to a protected computer and one count of another for aggravated identity theft.
Both charges stem from hacking allegations brought against Scheuer by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) involving Disney's proprietary "Menu Creator" system.
A criminal complaint revealed that Scheuer hacked into the Menu Creator system after he was fired from his role as the Menu Production Manager.
"The threat actor manipulated the allergen information on menus by adding information to some allergen notifications that indicated certain menu items were safe for individuals with peanut allergies, when in fact they could be deadly to those with peanut allergies," said the criminal complaint.
Once inside the system, often using employees unauthorized login information, Scheuer altered the menus.
He added a swastika to a menu, changed wine regions of drinks to locations of mass shootings and changed the fonts to Wingdings.
He also changed allergen information which posed a health risk to the public and added profanity.
As part of the agreement, Scheuer agreed to pay Disney restitution for damages caused by the hack and a fine set by the government. He also forfeited the computer tower used to conduct the hack.
According to court documents, Disney World reported damages estimated at $150,000.
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