A former Disney World employee carried out a cyberattack on the park's menu system, altering allergen information and QR codes, causing major app disruptions and potential risks for guests.
Revenge of an Ex-Disney Employee
Unusual Cyberattack
Disney faced an unexpected revenge scenario in which digital technology, rather than conventional ingredients, played a major role.
Michael Scheuer, formerly of Disney World, launched an attack on the park's menu system. His actions were revealed due to the non-standard fonts he used, which aroused suspicion among employees.
Consequences of the hack
As a result of Schoer's actions, the entire menu base became unusable, and the special application for creating them did not function for about two years weeks until specialists fixed the problem. Despite Disney changing the passwords, Scheuer was able to break into several FTP servers of the company that developed the app to re-change the allergen information.
Additional violations
In addition, the attacker replaced the QR codes that were supposed to direct visitors to the menu with links that leading to a web page calling for a boycott of Israel. There were also approximately 8,000 attempts by Scheuer to hack into the accounts of Disney employees.
Glossary
- Disney World is Disney's largest theme park located in Florida. USA.
- FTP server is a server that uses File Transfer Protocol to exchange files on a computer network.
- A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode containing information that can be quickly read using a smartphone.
- Engadget is a popular technology blog covering news in the consumer electronics industry.
- Israel is a state in the Middle East that often figures in international political discussions.
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Discussion of the topic – Revenge of a fired employee: how one person hacked the Disney World menu
Former Disney World employee Michael Scheuer made changes to the park's electronic menu, adding profanity, changing prices and allergen information. This caused the menu system to be temporarily inoperable and caused serious problems for the company.
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Isabella
Wow! I never would have thought that revenge could be so... creative? 🤔 Using the wingdings font is something! I wonder how long it took them to figure out what the problem was?
Hans
This is just crazy! I can imagine the panic Disney had when they discovered that all the menus were unreadable. But seriously, hacking servers because you're fired? This is already too much.
Amelie
I agree with Hans! Revenge is one thing, but putting people with allergies in danger... That's a whole other level. I hope no one was harmed due to incorrect information about allergens 😰
Carlos
I think this is brilliant! 😂 Of course, I don’t approve of his actions, but you must agree, this is a very creative way to annoy his former employer. I wonder what other surprises he has in store for them?
Giovanni
It's all nonsense. People used to work honestly, but now they only think about how to do harm. I would rather find a new job than do such nonsense. And in general, all these technologies are just a hassle.
Amelie
Giovanni, don't be such a grump! 😄 Technology is the future, you can’t go anywhere without it. But the fact that a person reacted this way to being fired is really a problem. Maybe you should think about psychological support for laid-off employees?
Olena
Guys, have you noticed about QR codes and the call to boycott Israel? It seems that this Scheuer had more than just personal motives. I wonder how this relates to his work at Disney? 🧐
Isabella
Olena, good question! Maybe this has something to do with company policy? Either way, it shows how important cybersecurity is. Disney clearly needs to strengthen the security of their systems! 💻🔒