Houston Waste managementone of the largest waste management companies in the US, severed its relationship with the IT contractor back in 2021 for unknown reasons. The 35-year-old man—an Ohioan named Maxwell Schultz—then took revenge using his knowledge of information technology.
Although he lost his own access to his former client's network after his contract was terminated, Schultz regained access using a dubious method: impersonating another contractor. He received these login details and used them again to access the network.
Once inside, Schultz reset the passwords of approximately 2,500 employees and other contractors, according to the company. Chron. The blocked users were scattered across the country and could no longer work.
Schultz also looked for ways to delete several system log files, which he did by running a PowerShell script. While PowerShell is generally a useful tool for automating tasks and managing systems, a user with administrator level access can do serious damage with it.
Waste Management suffered losses of $862,000, including customer service disruptions and network restoration efforts.
Schultz has since confessed to the crime, according to the source. recent statement from the District Attorney's Office. He faces 10 years in prison for computer fraud and a fine of up to $250,000.
