A software engineer who was dismissed in July last year allegedly downloaded information classified as “Intel Top Secret.” Since then, the company has been unable to contact him despite multiple attempts.
A Data Breach at a Critical Moment for Intel
According to a lawsuit filed by Intel (thanks The Mercury News), the employee, Jinfeng Luo, tried several times to copy confidential files from his corporate laptop. The first attempts were detected and blocked, but days before his departure, he reportedly managed to transfer the data to an external NAS drive, downloading around 18,000 files in total.
What’s worrying is not only the amount but also the type of information involved — it allegedly includes sensitive technical material related to product design and development. After months of trying to contact Luo without success, Intel decided to take legal action, demanding $250,000 in damages and the immediate return of all files.
Layoffs and Previous Incidents Raise Concerns
The incident comes at one of the most delicate moments in Intel’s recent history. The company has undergone a massive workforce reduction, cutting about 35,000 jobs over the past couple of years due to financial struggles. Employees like Luo were among those affected by the layoffs.
Interestingly, this is not the first time Intel has faced a similar issue. Recently, another engineer was sentenced to two years of probation and fined $34,000 after stealing documents that were later used to secure a position at Microsoft. According to court documents, the stolen data was allegedly used to gain an advantage in negotiations with Intel.
At present, Luo’s whereabouts remain unknown, and he has not responded to the accusations. The investigation is still ongoing and could lead to further legal action if it’s proven that the stolen information was shared or used by third parties.
