| Feds: NJ Worker Put 'Bomb' in Computers |
|---|
A computer administrator upset over the possibility of losing his job
planted an electronic "bomb" in the systems of one of the nation's
largest prescription drug management companies, prosecutors said
Tuesday.
If the so-called "logic bomb" had gone off at Medco Health Solutions
Inc., it would have wiped out critical patient information,
authorities said.
Even after surviving a round of layoffs, Yung-Hsun Lin, 50, kept the
code in the system and tinkered with it in an attempt to set it off,
prosecutors said. The bug eventually was discovered and neutralized by
the company.
U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said the bomb could have caused
widespread financial damage to the company, and possibly harmed a
large number of patients.
Among the targeted databases was one that tracked patient-specific
drug interaction conflicts, prosecutors said. Before dispensing
medication, pharmacists routinely examine that information to
determine whether conflicts exist among a patient's prescribed
medicines.