Crypto coder stole his employer's source code
DevOps engineer pleads guilty to charges and will be sentenced next month
A 32-year-old software engineer stole source code from the cryptocurrency company he worked at, a court heard on Wednesday.
The man, who cannot be named by court order, pleaded guilty to a raft of charges including unlawfully using a computer to access data, software or supporting documentation, and making use of copies or modifying such data. The charge was further aggravated by the fact that he worked for the company.
Source code is a set of instructions used to control a software program. It is copyright-protected and its theft may compromise company or user data.
Before the arraignment got underway, defence lawyer Chris Camilleri requested that the sitting be held behind closed doors, arguing that the issue is related to the company’s cybersecurity. The company is the victim in the case.
Camilleri insisted that the company did not want any of the details to be in the public domain due to irreparable harm it might sustain. The lawyer underlined that the man cooperated fully with the police, and this incident helped the company’s security too.
Parte civile lawyer Stefano Filletti said a ban on the names would suffice, but there was no need to hold the sitting behind closed doors.
The court ordered a ban on the names of the accused and the company involved.
Police Inspector Marcus Cachia explained that the police received a criminal complaint from the company alleging computer misuse. Police established that the suspect was abroad and due to return on February 16.
He was arrested at the Malta International Airport upon his return and arraigned on Wednesday.
In court, the DevOps engineer pleaded guilty to the charges.
He will be sentenced at a later date, as the police are still assessing the damage caused by the theft.
Prosecutors did not object to the engineer being granted bail.
The court granted the man bail against a €500 deposit and a €50,000 personal guarantee. He was ordered to sign the bail book three times a week.
The case was adjourned to March.
Magistrate Gabriella Vella presided.AG lawyer Mauro Abela prosecuted, assisted by police inspector Marcus Cachia. Lawyer Christian Camilleri assisted the accused. Lawyer Stefano Filletti assisted the company.