The Desk appreciates the support of readers who purchase products or services through links on our website. Learn more...

Ex-Disney employee charged with hacking resort’s food menus

The former employee, Michael Scheuer, reportedly stalked one ex-colleague after a search warrant was executed on his home.

Photo of author
By:
»

mkeys@thedesk.net

Share:
Michael Scheuer appears in an undated photograph. (Photo via social media, Graphic by The Desk)
Michael Scheuer appears in an undated photograph. (Photo via social media, Graphic by The Desk)

A former employee of the Walt Disney Company has been criminally charged with computer trespassing after he allegedly used the company’s passwords to alter several restaurant menus connected to Disney’s Florida resort.

Earlier this month, an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) filed a criminal complaint in the Middle District of Florida accusing the employee, Michael Scheuer, of utilizing passwords owned by Disney to access a virtual private network (VPN) and menu creation software long after his employment with the company ended.

Scheuer was hired by Disney through its college program in 2008, and quickly climbed the ladder at the entertainment company, eventually serving as a technical integration specialist and project manager for its food and beverage development, optimization and standard business unit at the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando.

Scheuer was terminated for misconduct earlier this year, according to FBI Special Agent Timothy Callinan, who described his firing as “contentious” and “not considered to be amicable.”

Shortly after his dismissal, Scheuer started his campaign of revenge, Callinan wrote in a criminal complaint, beginning first with a series of distributed denial of services (DDoS) attacks that targeted more than a dozen former co-workers at Walt Disney World resort.

At some point, Scheuer utilized a handful of old usernames and passwords that the company failed to de-activate in order to access a VPN, an online file storage system and a menu creation tool that Disney used for the food listings in its resort restaurants. Some of the changes amounted to petty vandalism — Scheuer allegedly incorporated profanity into the menus, changed the prices of some items and altered QR codes on in-restaurant menus that redirect customers to an anti-Israel website — but his alleged behavior escalated over time to include removing allergen information associated with certain meals, which had the potential to be extremely dangerous.

Law enforcement investigating the case were not aware of any actual harm caused by Scheuer’s actions. A high-profile incident involving a woman who died after suffering an allergy attack connected to a meal eaten at a Walt Disney World restaurant occurred before Scheuer’s dismissal.

Disney employees eventually realized what was going on when they noticed that the font on some menu had been changed to Wingdings, Callinan said in the complaint. The company took some of its systems offline, including the menu creation tool, while they secured their platforms, the agent affirmed.

Scheuer was apparently identified as a suspect after the company, working with law enforcement, traced several IP addresses that were connected to their VPN. A search warrant was executed on Scheuer’s home last month, which turned up a number of computers, one of which had a folder that included a list of potential targets, Callinan said.

Scheuer initially tried to dismiss the suspicions surrounding him, telling FBI agents that he felt Disney was trying to set him up to be framed. But Callinan said the evidence collected from the search warrant and Scheuer’s Google account point to him as the culprit.

(Images via court documents)
(Images via court documents)

To make matters worse, following the search warrant, Callinan said Scheuer visited the home of one Disney employee that was listed in his target file. A Ring camera captured Scheuer reading the name off a package left in front of the door, then giving a “thumbs up” before leaving in a vehicle that was traced back to him, Callinan said. The employee is now staying at a hotel, the agent affirmed.

Callinan has asked a federal court to approve a warrant to arrest Scheuer on numerous violations of the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. It was not clear if Scheuer was in custody as of Wednesday morning.

Disney and the U.S. Department of Justice have not publicly commented on the matter.

Never miss a story

Get free breaking news alerts and twice-weekly digests delivered to your inbox.

We do not share your e-mail address with third parties; you can unsubscribe at any time.

promo capcut banner
Photo of author

About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is the award-winning founder and editor of TheDesk.net, an authoritative voice on broadcast and streaming TV, media and tech. With over ten years of experience, he's a recognized expert in broadcast, streaming, and digital media, with work featured in publications such as StreamTV Insider and Digital Content Next, and past roles at Thomson Reuters and Disney-ABC Television Group.