Coder faces 10 years' jailtime for creating a 'kill switch' that screwed-up his employers' systems when he was laid off

A computer screen with program code warning of a detected malware script program. 3d illustration.

A 55 year-old man from Texas has been convicted by a jury of "causing intentional damage to protected computers" owned by his former employer, Eaton Corp, after creating malicious code that sabotaged elements of the company's network alongside a "kill switch" designed to shut down everything if he were laid off.

The US Department of Justice announced the conviction (thanks, ArsTechnica), adding that Davis Lu faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Lu had been employed by Eaton Corp for 11 years before a corporate reshuffle in 2018 "reduced his responsibilities", with the coder beginning his efforts to sabotage the company network later that year.