ExIntel Employee Hid 18000 Sensitive Documents Prior to Leaving the Company

pIntel is pursuing legal action against a former software engineer who the company claims downloaded thousands of confidential files shortly after being fired in JulyppThe incident highlights growing concerns about data security during workforce reductions and employee departuresppJinfeng Luo who worked as a software developer at Intel since 2014 lived in Seattle when the company notified him of his pending dismissal on July 7ppHis employment was set to end on July 31 Intel has not publicly disclosed the reason for his terminationppHowever the timing coincides with massive companywide layoffs affecting over 15000 employees worldwide that the semiconductor giant announced last summer as part of a costcutting initiativeppAccording to Intels lawsuit filed in Washington federal court Luo attempted his first unauthorized file transfer on July 23 just weeks after receiving his termination noticeppHe tried downloading files from his work laptop to an external hard drive but Intels security systems blocked the attemptppHowever five days later on July 28 Luo allegedly connected a different storage device and successfully downloaded approximately 18000 files from Intels systemsppThe massive file transfer immediately triggered Intels internal security investigation protocolsppThe company claims that many of the downloaded documents carried Top Secret classification markings making their unauthorized removal a serious breach of confidentiality and a potential violation of federal security regulationsppIntel spent several months attempting to contact Luo to address the matter reaching out to his Seattle residence and two additional addresses associated with him including one in the Portland areappWhen attempts to reach the former employee proved unsuccessful Intel escalated the situation by filing a civil lawsuitppThe lawsuit seeks substantial damages from Luo requesting at least 250000 in monetary compensationppAdditionally Intel is seeking recovery of attorneys fees and has asked the court to issue an injunction preventing Luo from disclosing any confidential information he allegedly downloaded The company aims to avoid further dissemination of the sensitive materialsppIntel declined to provide additional comment on the active litigation citing the ongoing legal proceedings Luo could not be located for this reportppLegal news outlets first reported on Intels lawsuit earlier in the week bringing the incident to wider public attentionppThe case underscores the challenges companies face in protecting intellectual property and classified information during employee transitions particularly during largescale workforce reductionsppIt also raises questions about access controls and monitoring systems for employees receiving termination notices as well as the protocols companies implement to prevent data theft during sensitive periodsppAs the litigation develops the case will likely serve as a cautionary example for technology companies managing security risks during organizational restructuring and employee departuresppFollow us on Google News LinkedIn and X to Get Instant Updates and Set GBH as a Preferred Source in GoogleppHot this weekppGBHackers on Security is a top cybersecurity news platform delivering uptodate coverage on breaches emerging threats malware vulnerabilities and global cyber incidentsppCompanyppTrendingppCategoriesppCopyright 2016 2025 GBHackers On Security All Rights Reservedp