A former Disney engineer is fighting back after a hack exposed company data, led to his termination, and left his personal life in shambles. The ex-employee, who was fired after a forensic audit uncovered pornography on his work computer, now claims he was wrongfully terminated and is seeking compensation.
The Breach That Changed Everything
In July 2024, Matthew Van Andel, an engineer at The Walt Disney Company, downloaded an AI-powered photo software onto his work computer. Unbeknownst to him, the software contained hidden malware designed to infiltrate company networks.
Shortly after, Van Andel received a message on Discord from an anonymous hacker who claimed to have access to his private Disney Slack messages and login credentials. Things quickly spiraled out of control when the hackers demanded compliance and threatened to expose his personal information.
Despite his efforts to secure his accounts and warn Disney about the breach, the hackers followed through on their threats, leaking:
- His Social Security number
- His Disney login credentials
- His children’s gaming account details
- Sensitive employee communications
The attack didn’t stop there. The hackers, identifying themselves as Nullbulge, later claimed responsibility for a massive data breach that affected Disney’s internal records and exposed nearly a terabyte of private company information.
Nullbulge justified its actions by citing Disney’s use of AI, its treatment of artists, and its “blatant disregard for the consumer.”
Van Andel’s sister claims the hackers only targeted Disney after realizing he worked there.
“They initially started stealing a lot of credit card data and banking information — the normal things,” she told The Los Angeles Post. “But then they realized where he worked and they were like, ‘We can have some additional fun with this.’”
Disney Fires Employee After the Hack
While Van Andel was scrambling to contain the damage to his personal and professional life, Disney launched its own investigation into the breach. In doing so, a forensic analysis of his company computer uncovered that he had accessed pornography while at work.
Disney quickly fired Van Andel for violating company policy. However, he denies the claims, stating that he never used his work computer for such activity.
Following his termination, Van Andel began seeking financial compensation from Disney, citing lost wages, emotional distress, and the ongoing risks posed by the breach.
According to his family, the former engineer put himself at risk to protect Disney from the hack, and instead of rewarding his loyalty, the company fired him.
“When the hacker made their presence known and tried to extort our brother for additional information, he instead went directly to the authorities and put himself, his family and his reputation at risk to protect his employer,” they wrote on a GoFundMe page raising money for Van Andel and his family.
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