- October 30, 2024
- Posted by: Editor
- Categories: Crime, Cybersecurity
A former Disney employee has been arrested for allegedly hacking into Disney’s systems and tampering with restaurant menus in potentially dangerous ways. Michael Scheuer, who worked as a menu production manager, was terminated in June due to unspecified misconduct. The dismissal, according to court documents, was anything but friendly.
Shortly after being fired, Scheuer reportedly used his still-active work credentials to access Disney’s menu creation system allegedly changing all the menu fonts to Wingdings symbols, rendering the menus unusable for weeks. This ultimately forced Disney to restore the system from backups.
The complaint further alleges that Scheuer altered menu QR codes to redirect customers to a website calling for a boycott of Israel and, most alarmingly, removed allergen information from some menus. This change could have led to severe health risks including death if customers with food allergies received incorrect information.
To cover his tracks, Scheuer reportedly used Mullvad VPN and set up multiple virtual machines. Despite these efforts, investigators linked him to the intrusions through IP records that matched those used during his time at Disney.
Scheuer, currently in custody, could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Disney has not yet commented on the incident.
Learn More
- USA Today: “Fired Disney Employee Charged with Hacking Menu System, Altering Allergen Information,” USA Today, October 30, 2024. Link
- NBC News: “Fired Disney Employee Allegedly Hacked Menu System to Falsely Claim Certain Foods as Safe,” NBC News, October 30, 2024. Link
- Orlando Sentinel: “FBI: Fired Disney Employee Hacked Restaurant Menus to Falsely Claim Foods as Allergen-Free,” Orlando Sentinel, October 30, 2024. Link