Former Intel employee admits to computer fraud

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http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-2174535.html?tag=st.ne.1002.bgif.ni

By Michael Kanellos
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
June 29, 2000, 3:55 p.m. PT

A former Intel engineer who managed to put the brakes on chip
production at one of the company's fabrication facilities pleaded
guilty to computer fraud.

Paul Barton, a former software engineer at Intel, pleaded guilty to
one count of computer fraud this week in U.S. District Court in
Oregon, according to Kent Robinson, an assistant U.S. attorney.

In 1997, Intel fired Barton, who managed an automated manufacturing
system called Workstream inside Fab 15 in Aloha, Oregon. When the
company fired him, Intel revoked his password and took away his
computer. What Intel failed to realize, however, was that Barton could
log into the system from his home computer.

The next day, at 2:15 a.m., Barton deleted a number of files, which
shut down Workstream. "This slowed, but didn't quite stop, the
manufacturing process," Robinson said.

In all, Barton clogged the manufacturing process for about four hours.
The incident cost about $20,000 to remedy, according to estimates from
Intel. Federal law provides criminal penalties for damaging computer
systems.

A penalty hearing will take place Sept. 12. Barton faces a maximum
penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, but he will
likely receive a fairly light penalty because of the limited damage,
said Robinson. The judge will have the option to have Barton serve
time in home confinement.

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