Chinese Software Developer Sentenced Four Years for Sabotaging Ohio Employer's Systems

Davis Lu, a 55-year-old Chinese national and former software developer at Eaton Corporation, was sentenced to four years in federal prison for deliberately installing malicious code on his employer's computer systems, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. After a 2018 corporate restructuring reduced his responsibilities, Lu created malware that triggered system crashes, blocked user logins, deleted coworkers' profile files, and included a 'kill switch' that locked out thousands of users worldwide when his account was disabled. Prosecutors highlighted that he timed the attacks to coincide with system updates to avoid detection and that his actions were motivated by anger and a desire for revenge rather than financial gain. The malicious code caused significant disruption and required substantial effort and expense to repair, with Eaton Corporation spending over $365,000 in man-hours to fix the damage. Lu’s lawyer has expressed intentions to appeal the conviction, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years, and Lu also faces potential deportation. The sentencing underscored a breach of employer trust and the serious consequences of insider cyber sabotage.