A Singaporean court has sentenced Kandula Nagaraju, a former employee, to two and a half years in prison for hacking his ex-employer’s system and deleting crucial data after being terminated for poor performance. Nagaraju, who was part of a team managing a quality assurance system, launched cyberattacks remotely from India between January and March 2023. His calculated efforts included accessing the system multiple times, writing malicious scripts, and executing them to delete virtual servers.
The cyberattacks resulted in significant financial losses estimated at around SGD 918,000 for the company. The damage caused by Nagaraju’s actions underscores the potential threat posed by disgruntled employees to a company’s cybersecurity infrastructure. It also highlights the importance of implementing robust access control measures and timely removal of access privileges for terminated employees to prevent such incidents.
This case is not an isolated incident, as past instances have shown disgruntled employees causing harm to their former employers through cyberattacks. From reducing hotel room rates to sharing sensitive data and stealing corporate secrets, such actions emphasize the need for companies to remain vigilant and proactive in safeguarding their digital assets against insider threats.
Nagaraju’s sentencing serves as a reminder of the significant consequences individuals may face for engaging in malicious activities targeting their employers, highlighting the legal repercussions of such actions. It also underscores the broader challenge organizations face in mitigating insider threats and ensuring the security of their systems and data.
