Feb 23, 2020 12:00:00

Engineer convicted of mixing timed bugs in spreadsheets to keep work from losing work

Many IT workers are at risk of losing work due to hardware or software changes, and it is very important to get continuous work. A man named David Tinley living in the state of Pennsylvania in the United States has been continuously receiving orders for work by `` embed timed bugs in spreadsheets '', but as a result it was found that he set up a bug and was guilty I have been sentenced.

Siemens Contract Employee Intentionally Damaged Computers by Planting Logic Bombs into Programs He Designed | USAO-WDPA | Department of Justice

https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/siemens-contract-employee-intentionally-damaged-computers-planting-logic-bombs-programs

Siemens contractor pleads guilty to planting logic bomb in company spreadsheets | ZDNet
https://www.zdnet.com/article/siemens-contractor-pleads-guilty-to-planting-logic-bomb-in-company-spreadsheets/

Contractor admits planting logic bombs in his software to ensure he'd get new work | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/12/contractor-admits-planting-logic-bombs-in-his-software-to-ensure-hed-get-new-work/

Tinley has been providing software-related services to German-based

Siemens office in Pennsylvania for 10 years. One of the jobs Tinley had undertaken was the creation of a spreadsheet that was used to manage orders for equipment used by the company.

The spreadsheet contained a script that automatically updated the contents of the file based on the latest order status in other remote documents. This script allowed Siemens to automatically manage equipment inventory and order status, but around 2014 the spreadsheet malfunctioned. Siemens reportedly contacted the spreadsheet developer Tinley and had them repair the spreadsheet for a fee.

Siemens continued to rely on Tinley to repair spreadsheets from 2014 to 2016, as spreadsheets often malfunctioned thereafter. However, in 2016, Tinley left the town and gave the Siemens IT staff a spreadsheet management password. Later, while Siemens IT staff was checking the spreadsheet, they noticed a 'timed bug'.

The bug that Tinley had set up was that the file crashed after a certain date, which allowed Tinley to be able to get work on a regular basis. Siemens sued Tinley, acknowledging that Tinley had also intentionally crashed the protected file.

Siemens claims that the total amount of damages caused by Tinley's crime is $ 42,262 (about 4.7 million yen), and Tinley will be imprisoned with a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of $ 250,000 (about 28 million yen) There was a possibility. However, in December 2019, the court ruled in prison for six months and fined $ 7,500.